The City and County of Honolulu faces a critical waste management challenge as the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill has surpassed its Dec. 31 for an alternative to be developed. This is despite starting to plan in 2012.

No viable alternative has been proposed, leaving Honolulu at a crossroads. Among the available options, plasma arc gasification stands out as a promising, modern solution, especially with the landfill’s expected closure by around 2028 after reaching full capacity.

The Case Against Landfills

The proposal for a landfill above Honolulu’s primary aquifer sparked strong opposition from the chair of the Board of Water Supply. His response matched the intensity he showed when discussing the Red Hill leaks and their impact on the aquifer.

The decision to potentially allow a landfill above Oʻahu’s aquifer raises significant concerns and could be seen as disregarding public welfare, even if unintentionally. The intensity of public sentiment suggests that the motivations behind selecting Central Oʻahu as a landfill site warrant scrutiny.

Even with properly designed liners and multiple layers to contain waste, no landfill on Earth is impervious to leakage — except in fairytale scenarios. Despite well-intentioned design and meticulous planning, construction oversight often falls short. Landfill liners tear, human errors occur, and materials may not meet required standards. Ignoring such practical realities can lead to disastrous consequences.

Safety training does not eliminate all accidents, nor do immunizations guarantee complete immunity. Therefore, the risk of contaminating Oʻahu’s primary drinking water supply is simply unacceptable. Yet, it appears the city administration is willing to take risks with the health and well-being of the very citizens who rely on the Central Oʻahu aquifer as a vital resource. This makes the city’s approach hard to accept.

Landfills are environmentally hazardous and inefficient. They require vast tracts of land, produce harmful emissions, and generate leachate that threatens ecosystems. Even with strict environmental regulations, they remain a suboptimal solution in an age defined by technological innovation.

In the United States, there are over 3,000 active landfills, averaging 600 acres in size, and 10,000 closed ones. The plastic or clay liners required by federal standards tend to leak over time. Small earth movements, repeated over many years, make landfills susceptible to leakage.

Objections And Misconceptions

At a Dec. 11 news conference, Mayor Rick Blangiardi misleadingly stated, “There’s no path forward for us that does not involve the creation of a new landfill on Oʻahu.”

This statement overlooked alternative technologies, raising questions about whether all options have been evaluated. This underscores the need for transparency and a comprehensive review of potential solutions.

The city considered shipping waste off-island. While seemingly viable, this approach depends on geopolitical stability and uninterrupted fuel supplies. In the event of disruptions or conflict, shipping could become impossible, leaving the island with accumulating municipal solid waste.

Thus, any solution must rely on sustainable, responsible technology ensuring long-term resilience.

The Promise Of Plasma Arc Gasification

PAG, as it is also known, is a century-old technology that outperforms landfills and incinerators, such as H-Power, in pollution reduction. PAG plants work by ionizing waste at 12,000-15,000 degrees Fahrenheit in a reactor.

PAG technology meets and exceeds EPA environmental standards for limiting cancer-causing dioxins. PAG plants also fare better with pollutants like nitrous oxides, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter.

“Over 400 waste-to-energy plants handle municipal solid waste across North America, yet only a small fraction employ plasma arc gasification technology. Most PAG facilities have operated at capacities between 10 and 135 tons per day. However, scalable designs are available for plants capable of handling up to 750 tons daily, offering the flexibility needed to meet the demands of larger urban centers. All U.S. Navy Ford-class aircraft carriers now use PAG waste destruction systems to manage daily waste on board.”

This demonstrates that PAG is a mainstream, proven technology that Honolulu could adopt. It further reveals that the mayor was inaccurate when he claimed that “we have explored every path in a most serious manner …” and that “… the city must construct a new landfill.”

For every 60 acres occupied by a landfill, only 1.5 acres are required for a plasma arc gasification plant. A PAG plant processing 1,000 tons of waste per day can generate 40–50 MW of electricity, providing potential revenue for the city.

And a PAG plant can recoup its investment in 10–12 years, even with a $500 million installation cost to process 1,000 tons of municipal solid waste daily. These are very attractive characteristics for waste management infrastructure.

PAG plants eliminate the need to disturb ecosystems for concrete and asphalt aggregates, as the slag byproducts serve as aggregates.

Additionally, existing landfills can be mined to fuel plasma arc gasification plants, further reducing environmental impact. This approach could reclaim land from closed landfills, avoiding methane exhaust systems like those at Kakaʻako.

Overall, PAG plants are more cost-effective than landfills, pose fewer environmental risks, require less land, produce no leachate, and generate electricity. They also produce valuable byproducts like hydrogen for vehicles and slag for concrete. Across the globe, plasma arc gasification technology has shown that it can cover operational costs and even generate revenue for municipalities. With such clear benefits, why not adopt this financially and environmentally sound solution on Oʻahu?

A Distributed PAG Model For Oʻahu

Honolulu’s 1,000 tons of municipal solid waste per day does not need to be processed at a single plant. Smaller plasma arc gasification plants, with capacities of 10 to 100 tons per day, could be strategically distributed across the island, eliminating disputes over landfill locations and offering a flexible, scalable solution. A decentralized approach aligns with the need for innovative thinking.

For example, a dedicated plant at Honolulu airport could handle airport waste, while the U.S. Navy might establish a plant at Pearl Harbor. The Ewa Plains could host a facility for industrial waste, and hospitals could replace incinerators with PAG plants to safely process medical waste. The University could also have its own small PAG plant.

This approach would eliminate the need to export hazardous waste off the island, as PAG plants can process hazardous materials.

A network of 10 to 40 smaller plasma arc gasification plants is entirely feasible and no more complex to manage than other existing facilities. Oʻahu can have a tailored approach to waste disposal that promotes accountability and equity in waste management.

PAG provides a scalable, efficient alternative to outdated landfill methods. By adopting a distributed PAG model, Honolulu can transform its waste management, turning a longstanding challenge into an opportunity for progress.

There would be no need to amend Act 73, search for a new landfill, engage in legislative disputes, or bear the costs of landfill operations. PAG technology ensures a clean environment and offers a transformative, forward-thinking solution for managing municipal solid waste.