With a new landfill still a decade away from opening, the Garden Isle is running out of room for its trash. So, to buy time, the county hopes to expand its 73-year-old Kekaha landfill — at a cost of up to $43 million.
An open house about the project drew roughly 90 community members to the Kekaha Neighborhood Center last week. There, County Solid Waste employees were stationed at a handful of poster board stations depicting the expansion project, the landfill’s current operations, community benefits for Kekaha, and the island’s household recycling and trash diversion rates.
Community members energetically talked story with one another as they perused the stations, though many had been expecting a presentation and public Q&A, rather than poster boards and cards to write their questions and comments.
Kaua‘i is not alone in trying to figure out what to do with its trash. The City and County of Honolulu is also discussing how to extend the life of its Waimānalo landfill, which is set to close in 2028. And earlier this year, state legislators considered a proposal to create a working group to examine solid waste reduction policies and programs…