MEET THE NEW SITE- SAME AS THE OLD SITE

MEET THE NEW SITE- SAME AS THE OLD SITE: The latest “final solution” to the trash questions- where to bury all that crap we import- has been made... again.

And the new site, selected by Mayor Bernard Carvalho, is the original site- one designated almost 20 years ago.

Yet back then the site was rejected due to “environmental justice” issues that seem to have disappeared today.

The Ma`alo Road site on the way up to Wailua falls is so far without opposition- even from the usual dedicated environmental activists who, rather than questioning the decision this time, are apparently embracing it if the dearth of negative reaction so far is any indication.

Here’s an email typical of those we’ve received from activists across the island.

What about the Ma`alo landfill site and MRF center? Got any read on that? it looks at first blush to be a great improvement over Kekaha & Kalaheo. Interested in your thoughts.

So what, if anything, has changed?

Perhaps it’s the urgency- the date when the Kekaha landfill will be full is quickly approaching. But that would be happening anyway no matter where the new dump was sited.

And it’s centrally located- although the site hasn’t moved any since the 90’s.

Maybe it’s that the suggestions that we ship it all back where it came from has been monkey-wrenched by a corrupt process that blew up in the faces of Honolulu politicians, making it a much harder sell over here, especially since Indian tribes where the mainland dump is located are suing because Hawaiian trash is too “exotic”.... actually maybe we should be proud that apparently even our crap is thought to be mysterious and glamorous.

It could be the fact that we now need space for the kind of recycling efforts that were only dreamed of back then. The availability of land nearby for a MRF- a materials recovery facility where recyclables would be sorted- is something that is key to any zero waste plans for the future.

It could be that now there is a system in place to bribe Hanama`ulu residents into accepting the new dump, although the way Kekaha has been botching the Host Community Benefit program many are apprehensive as to any benefit other than creating animosity over what to do with the money.

But really most likely the lack of opposition is simply due to the decades of stumbling and bumbling by three administrations through a half a dozen proposed sites making us just plain tired of hearing about it.

Dig the freakin’ hole, throw all the crap in and shut up and be done with it. After all, that’s how Kaua`i has treated our opala problems for over a century now- why should this time be any different?