Pahoa Transfer Station Mauna

[kalakoa]

a hidden web cam to video the idiots and fine them

Most of the "idiots" will just dump their trash on the roadside next time. One lucky winner will file a lawsuit claiming "wrongful accusation" and/or "invasion of privacy".

[MarkD]

I'll get flak for this dissent, but here goes:

Some things should open every day. Park restrooms. Open 24 hours. One of the impacts Hawaii is having with homeless people, and I won't get into specifics, relates to restrooms being locked at night. That doesn't work.

Dump sites should be open 7 days a week, dawn to dusk. A few decades back, dumps were always open. Didn't have fences around them and didn't have guards.

Our modern society now has 101 reasons why we can't have open dumps. Perhaps some have merit.

But there is something to be said for the way it was before. By the way, the people who are dumping aren't just being A-holes. They are sending a message.

- - - -

And sorry but this topic relates to Hawaii government employees having too many days off. Way too many days off, and on top of it, they're demonstrably lazy compared to private sector workers.

We should privatize rubbish collection (but still fund it with tax collections). If you can shop at Walmart 7 days a week 5 a.m. to midnight we ought to be able to dump rubbish 7 days a week.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Some things should open every day.

The Keaau Transfer Station was open 24/7.
Then someone dumped a big load of rotting fish heads. Some made it into the dumpster hauler thing, most landed on the ground in front of it. It smelled to high heaven for sometime afterward. Afterward, they installed a gate and locked it at night.

[randomq]

As a private sector dump owner, would you be willing to staff your dump 24/7 including holidays? If not, how would you deal with toxic waste, e-waste, and other unacceptable things being dumped overnight? Could you deal with it in a way that will not end up making your dump unprofitable?

To really solve this, I think government is required. Change the rules as to what can be dumped when (if you don't always allow toxic items or tires, where will they end up instead?) Run the dump at a loss, knowing that you are saving greater environmental costs down the road. Invest in innovative programs that private industry might not (automated trash sorting, tire mulching, trash incinerating for power generation, on-island recycling).

We could (and should) be leading in these areas, living on an island. Instead we are griping about people that at least are driving down to the transfer station, instead of throwing their trash into their neighbor's bushes.

[MarkD]

The T-H just reported a case of someone badly trashing the Waimea Park restrooms. Very bad incident; both of these case are deplorable vandalism.

But you can't just shut down needed services. Park restroom will have to be built to withstand this. No more sinks. Ground spigot to wash hands only and steel toilets.

"rotting fish heads... It smelled to high heaven for sometime afterward."

Did county workers take a pressure washer to the concrete?? The incident is unfortunate, but it hardly justifies the new closed dump policy. I doubt county officials considered public opinion on this matter.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

I doubt county officials considered public opinion on this matter.

I arrived when they were cleaning up, hand shoveling, hosing, washing.
They let me walk through a “clean” area to dump my trash. Big mistake, my shoes smelled for days.

It was only one idiot who created the mess, presumably, but I really don’t blame the Transfer Station for assuming there’d be more. It was quite disgusting.

"The great mystery is that such a state may be one of utter happiness, as it provides opinions concerning things, but no knowledge of the things themselves.” - Marguerite Young

[PaulW]

When did this change? I thought these transfer stations were open all year except Christmas and New Years Day, but maybe I'm misremembering.

[Obie]

"All County Solid Waste Division Facilities are closed on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. We may also be closed for natural disasters or other emergencies, or special events (e.g. Ironman Triathlon) please check the announcements on the home page for any closure or service interruption notices."

[pander75]

I wonder what the cost breakdown is? Paying security guards or police VS keeping the transfer stations open.

Not that I mind giving County employees a holiday for Veteran's Day. Those hard working folks deserve a holiday too. The real shame here is that some people can't wait one extra day to throw their trash.

[MarkP]

I generate about 1 bag a week so I don't get how it is so urgent that you can't keep the bag overnight. However that is not the point. There are enough people out there who are only marginally functional that we have to cater to them or suffer the consequences.