The City and County of Honolulu will have until the end of the year to select a site for a new landfill, following a decision from the State Land Use Commission.
Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s administration has been waiting for the commission’s decision on a request to extend its deadline to find a new landfill site that will replace Waimānalo Gulch.
The Land Use Commission ordered the city to close and replace Waimānalo Gulch by 2028. Because of that, the city was supposed to pick a new site by the end of 2022.
However, the city blew past that deadline because it has been unable to find a suitable location that complies with state laws and does not pose environmental issues.
One of the final sites that the city considered was deemed unacceptable because it would threaten a drinking-water aquifer.
In the past, the city has said that the landfill had enough space to remain open until about 2036. But Deputy Corporation Counsel Jeffrey Hu informed commissioners that the timeline has now decreased to about 2031.
If the city, again, does not adhere to the deadlines set by the Land Use Commission, a party could bring a lawsuit against the Blangiardi administration to try to force them to comply.
