NIMBYism landed on my doorstep when a city panel picked the Ameron quarry in Kailua as its top choice for a new Oahu landfill.
Mayor Peter Carlisle’s Advisory Committee on Landfill Site Selection ranked the 361-acre Ameron site, which is near the old Kailua landfill that was shut down after reaching capacity in the 1990s, ahead of locations in Nanakuli and Kahuku.
By Carlisle’s order, the existing Waimanalo Gulch landfill in West Oahu, which potentially has 15 more years of capacity, was excluded from consideration.
Leeward residents and the Ko Olina Resort have fought to close Waimanalo Gulch, and the city is appealing in court for relief from a state Land Use Commission order to shut the landfill by July 31.
Cries of "not in my backyard" were heard on the Windward side within minutes after the new list was released.
Windward Councilman Ikaika Anderson promised to do "everything in my power to stop it," Kailua Rep. Chris Lee circulated a petition, and missives arrived from community leaders describing Kailua as "under attack."
Leeward Councilman Tom Berg, meantime, was whipping up his constituents to respond in kind.
"There needs to be, in my opinion, an organized, concerted effort by the Leeward Coast elected officials and residents to band together and be just as cognizant as Kailua is as to what is at stake here," he said.
I don’t necessarily disagree with some of the points made by my neighbors; Kailua did its turn hosting Oahu’s landfill for decades and still has a major refuse transfer station.
It seems to make little sense to close a working quarry that employs 300 people in support of Oahu’s construction industry to accommodate a landfill that could just as well be situated elsewhere.
And the case for going to such great expense to shut down Waimanalo Gulch before it reaches capacity is less than compelling.
But I’m bothered by the knee-jerk responses on both sides before there was time to even digest the advisory panel’s recommendations.
Technology to make 100 percent of Oahu’s trash magically disappear is nowhere on the horizon, and we need a landfill somewhere.
The volunteer advisory committee put in a good amount of work and deserves a fair hearing of its recommendations before opponents haul out the nukes.
What’s the harm in taking a moment to look at the rationale? The recommendations must get through Carlisle and the City Council and survive up to seven years of planning and environmental review before the refuse trucks start coming. There will be ample opportunity for public input.
If every community on the island goes from 0 to outraged in six seconds flat every time its name comes up, we’ll never solve this or the other thorny problems that confront our city.
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Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.
