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What’s in your trash can?
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The Waimanalo Gulch Landfill is
one of two landfills on Oahu. The other landfill
in Nanakuli is permitted for construction and demolition
waste only. The City's goal is to minimize the
use of landfill for waste disposal. Waste-to-energy
(H-POWER) and recycling currently divert more than
one million tons of waste from landfill annually. |
Oahu generates approximately 1.79
million tons of waste annually from residential, commercial
and
industrial sources. At your home, about 15% of your
trash
is recyclable newspaper, aluminum, glass and plastic; and
25 - 30% is compostable yard trimmings. What is
in your trash at work varies with the type of business.
In
an office, as much as 85% of what goes into trash cans
is recyclable office paper. In a retail operation,
a major
component of the waste is cardboard. In a restaurant,
you will find a lot of glass and food waste in the trash.
A Waste Characterization
study breaks
down our waste into categories.
Where does it go after it is collected?
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| The H-POWER Plant in Campbell Industrial
Park processes over 600,000 tons of waste
annually, producing 7% of Oahu's electricity. All
of the waste collected from our homes has been taken
to H-POWER since it began operation in 1990. |
Most residential and general commercial
trash is disposed of at H-POWER, the City’s waste-to-energy
plant. Noncombustible construction and demolition (C&D)
debris and industry wastes go directly to landfill.
H-POWER: Honolulu Program of Waste Energy Recovery
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| H-POWER reduces the volume
of waste by 90% through incineration with 10% (ash)
going to landfill. |
H-POWER began
operation in 1990 and today converts more than 2,000 tons
of waste per day into electricity to
power more than 40,000 homes. H-POWER is the cornerstone
of Honolulu's integrated waste management system. H-POWER
produces 7% of Oahu’s electricity and reduces the
volume of refuse going to landfill by 90%. On Oahu, waste-to-energy
works in partnership with recycling efforts to significantly
reduce the amount of waste going to landfills.
In addition to reducing the volume of waste entering
the plant by 90% through incineration, H-POWER is actively
engaged in recycling. Virtually 100% of the ferrous and
nonferrous metal is recovered for recycling. The
facility's pre-processing system uses magnets to pull
metals from the waste stream and eddy current separators
extract non-ferrous metals from the ash, diverting approximately
18,000 tons of ferrous metals (tin cans) and 2,500 tons
of non-ferrous metals (aluminum cans) to recycling annually.
Moreover, H-POWER reduces our dependence on imported
oil. One ton of trash produces saleable energy equivalent
to 60 gallons of oil.
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| A trek up two flights of stairs
takes you into the control room of the H-POWER
plant. High-tech equipment monitors the flow
of waste materials up conveyor belts, through trommels
and magnets, preparing the refuse for the incinerator.
Virtually 100% of the metals is extracted for recycling
in the process. |
A six-minute video about H-POWER is available for viewing in the media library.
More information at:
H-POWER Covanta Energy
HECO
Hawaii's Energy Future
HECO Currents Newsletter: "Power Junk: How Trash
is Turning on Your Electric Lights (and more)"
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| Curbside recycling bins make sorting easy – gray
for refuse, green for green waste, and blue for mixed recyclables. |
Recycling and composting will reduce the amount
of waste going to disposal sites. Existing landfills will last longer. In 1988,
the year before the City began organizing its recycling effort, Oahu recycled
approximately 100,000 tons of material. Today,
we recycle more than 600,000 tons. See Oahu Recycling
Rates 1988 - present. Follow this link to learn more about the City's
Future Plans.
City government recycles
The City encourages everyone to get on board with recycling, and understands
the effectiveness of leading by example. Any mandatory recycling requirements
that the City imposes on the commercial sector, it also imposes on itself.
Current disposal restrictions on cardboard and green waste apply to commercial
and government facilities.
City government employees have recycled more than 250,000 pounds of paper
annually since the beginning of the City's office paper recycling program in
1989. All yard trimmings and grass from City parks and grounds are mulched
or composted. City streets have been paved with glasphalt, an asphalt mixture
containing crushed glass. The glass came from Oahu residential and commercial collection programs.
The City buys only recycled-content paper to support the recycled paper market.
That means everything from toilet tissue and paper towels to copier and computer
paper is purchased with recycled content. The City continues to explore other
types of products made from recycled material - such as recycled plastic lumber
- which could be used in place of products currently being purchased.
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| This crushed glass garden sculpture created by Hawaiian
Cracked Glass for the Honolulu Zoo can be found in the Elephant Encounter
Area. |
The Honolulu Zoo has become a showcase for recycled products. The Zoo has
been making good use of products manufactured from your recycled milk jugs,
glass containers and yard trimmings collected around the island. While you
visit with the animals, check out "We Recycle, too at the Zoo."
In the Elephant Encounter Area and the new Tropical Stroll Garden you’ll
find recycled plastic benches that were re-manufactured from milk jugs. Glass
containers collected from community recycling programs have been crushed, mixed
with asphalt to create glasphalt and used to pave the walkways. Those cute
little elephant sculptures are made from crushed recycled glass, too.
In the Children’s Zoo recycled plastic lumber has replaced wood planks
in the fencing. Not only is the product more durable than wood, but it eliminates
the problem of splinters for our keiki.
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| It takes 2,700 milk jugs to make a picnic table. |
Recycled Product Facts:
- Picnic Table = 2,700 milk jugs
- Park Bench = 1,100 milk jugs
- Elephant Encounter Area Walkway = 7 tons (14,000 lbs.) of recycled glass
- Tropical Stroll Garden walkway = 4 tons (8,000 lbs.) of recycled glass
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