It’s true that everybody makes mistakes, but messing up the ranking of potential dump sites is right up there with miscounting on election night or calling a mole a tumor. While not quite unforgiveable, it certainly won’t be forgotten anytime soon.

The incident adds another layer of skepticism over a process that is, at its core, a flawed exercise. It shakes what confidence Oahu residents may have in the city’s ability to get things right.

The worst thing about the dump debacle is that it leaves the impression that the process for selecting potential landfill sites was disorganized and capricious, like picking a winner at a boozy bikini contest or naming the best entry in Chunky’s Chili Cook-off and Karaoke Round-up.

If you look through the meeting reports for the advisory board that has been wrangling with how to find a new place to dump Oahu’s garbage, you can see the thought and effort that came before the data entry mistake:

» Changed the language on Location Relative to Public Schools. The committee asked that the term "Public Schools" be removed and replaced with "Educational Institutions."

» Added language to the end of Location Relative to Public Parks to include "Recreational Facilities."

» Asked that Effect on Local Traffic be combined into a subset with Wear and Tear on Highways and Roadways and Effect on Roadway Usage.

» Asked that Location Relative to Wetlands be combined into a subset with Location Relative to Listed Threatened or Endangered Plant and Animal Species and Location Relative to Identified Groundwater Resources.

» Asked that potential landfill problems, such as adverse effect on fisheries, a methane explosion, liner failure and operational disruptions, be included in the Worst-Case Scenario discussion.

The reports go on and on like this.

The committee went through detailed, line-by-line discussions for months, all the while knowing that whatever site it selected would outrage that community.

That being said, neither Kailua nor Kahuku seem logical spots for landfills. Kailua had the issue of nearby Kawainui Marsh. Kahuku is about as far away from the population center of urban Honolulu as you can get on the island, requiring lots of miles for those garbage trucks.

The reality is that finding a new dump is not a solution. The solution lies somewhere between smart scientists figuring out better ways to wrap food and diaper children, etc., and caring consumers who will do all the mindful things needed to reduce waste. It also requires a completely new economy that is not based on encouraging consumers to throw out furniture, appliances and clothes every two years to be replaced with all new stuff.

Before the data entry mistake, there were myriad other problems, starting with the way we think about garbage. We’re accustomed to think there is no cost — economic or otherwise — associated with tossing out the trash: free pickup, free bulky waste, etc. Which is why we’re startled and angry when the bill comes due.

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Reach Lee Cataluna at lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.