East Hawaii Transfer station Overfilled
Earlier today County of Hawaii released a statement addressing the recent change in Transfer station hours, the possible change back, and what it sites as reasons for the change. Also a claim of “Creative Solutions” to address and rectify the situation. However… some workers from Hawaiʻi County’s Solid Waste Division state the Counties Media release may not be completely forthcoming.
The following County of Hawaii Release stated as follows…
“Hawaiʻi County’s Solid Waste Division (SWD) and the Office of the Mayor have established creative solutions to return five transfer stations to regular operating hours. If all goes as planned, daily operations will resume on Monday, September 13. Returning to normal operating hours will be the Hāwī, Keauhou, Hilo, Kea‘au, and Pāhoa transfer stations. Since August 31, COVID-19-related staffing issues have caused interruptions and reduced services at the Hāwī and Keauhou facilities to Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the Hilo, Kea‘au, and Pāhoa facilities to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
The staffing shortages are now being alleviated thanks to the emergency assistance of a private vendor in transferring waste from the reload facility in Hilo to the West Hawai‘i Sanitary Landfill through temporary hires of equipment operators and solid waste facility attendants, as well as coordination among multiple County departments and the Department of Health.
“We’re proud to have found creative and out-of-the-box solutions to return vital services to our communities in the midst of the pandemic,” said Mayor Mitch Roth. “We understand the importance of ensuring reasonable and equitable access to our transfer stations and remain committed to doing whatever we can to preventing further closures to the best of our ability. Breaking down silos was a focal point of our administration, and this is just one example of how collaboration between departments, across all sectors, can help us solve some of our toughest challenges.”
“Once again, during these transfer station closures, people have shown the willingness to come together and work toward a solution,” said Ramzi Mansour, Director of the Department of Environmental Management. “I would like to thank the Office of the Mayor, the Department of Health, Department of Public Works, and the Department of Human Resources, and the hard-working Solid Waste Division staff that worked beyond expectations to continue the services by ‘holding the torch’ as others were out due to the unpredictable COVID-19 Delta variant.”
We appreciate the public for their patience in getting through the ten days of the modified schedule, and we appreciate the hard-working SWD employees for their service. We would also like to thank the public for their understanding and for doing their part in reducing the amount of waste generated on Hawai‘i Island.”
How East Hawaii Transfer Station normally
According to some SWD workers who spoke anonymously to BITM. “Can’t speak for the West, but East Hawaii Transfer stations didn’t close at all for Staffing issues or COVID-related reasons. We haven’t had a COVID case since August 21st, 2021. The reason as we know it is is that the East Hawaii Sorting Station was over its maximum compacity. Either someone called or they thought someone would call the Board of Health and they (County’s Solid Waste Division admin) would catch hell. So they panicked and staggered the open days to catch up.”
In the Hawaiiʻs consensus from 2020, in the past 20 years, Hawaii County has grown from a population of 148,677 to 203,340. An increase in population by 54,633. More people means more rubbish. More rubbish would mean more work. More work normally means more workforce. But workers claim SWD has been slow to add positions. “Thereʻs are just not the proper workforce to meet the demand and in the past years, we been addʻing to the rubbish we accept and how its processed. The problem is we short on manpower.”
As far as the County of Hawaiiʻs claims to “Creative Solutions” by using a private vendor. One worker said “is that a joke? Thatʻs not a creative solution, it’s call procurement, and it’s been around for years. How’s Mitchʻs “out-of-the-box solutions” since when a county practice is Out-of-the-Box? Maybe for him.”
The real problem workers stated was East Hawaii sorting station was closed so the drivers could focus on the overfill. “they just don’t have enough drivers, these guys bust um all day. We need more drivers” A “creative solution” some suggested would have been to pull other drivers from the County Divisions to Transfer waste to West Hawaii. That would have been cheaper than Private Vendors.
The view strongly shared was “I just don’t like they trying to blame the workers, Itʻs not us, it the decision-makers! They don’t listen to our input. Then they like to blame us”
Hawaiʻi County’s Solid Waste Division workers are unionized workers under United Pubic Workers. We reached out to UPW for a comment on the County’s Release today and the workers’ claims and concerns. Liz Ho UPW had this to say about it.
“Aloha,
The UPW Hawaii Division staff is addressing this currently matter.
Mahalo,
Liz”
Rubbish Left at the Hawaii County Gate
Also this morning outside of the Hawaii County Building where the mayor’s office presides. In a possible protest of the Transfer Stations closure. Rubbish was left at the front entrance gate and back lanai and Zucchini was scattered thru out the grounds.
So this leaves one to question. Is this “Outside the box” thinking of “Creative Solutions” an answer to the looming Rubbish and waste disposal for East Hawaii? or a band aid on a missing limb.
The following County of Hawaii Release stated as follows…
“Hawaiʻi County’s Solid Waste Division (SWD) and the Office of the Mayor have established creative solutions to return five transfer stations to regular operating hours. If all goes as planned, daily operations will resume on Monday, September 13. Returning to normal operating hours will be the Hāwī, Keauhou, Hilo, Kea‘au, and Pāhoa transfer stations. Since August 31, COVID-19-related staffing issues have caused interruptions and reduced services at the Hāwī and Keauhou facilities to Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the Hilo, Kea‘au, and Pāhoa facilities to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
The staffing shortages are now being alleviated thanks to the emergency assistance of a private vendor in transferring waste from the reload facility in Hilo to the West Hawai‘i Sanitary Landfill through temporary hires of equipment operators and solid waste facility attendants, as well as coordination among multiple County departments and the Department of Health.
“We’re proud to have found creative and out-of-the-box solutions to return vital services to our communities in the midst of the pandemic,” said Mayor Mitch Roth. “We understand the importance of ensuring reasonable and equitable access to our transfer stations and remain committed to doing whatever we can to preventing further closures to the best of our ability. Breaking down silos was a focal point of our administration, and this is just one example of how collaboration between departments, across all sectors, can help us solve some of our toughest challenges.”
“Once again, during these transfer station closures, people have shown the willingness to come together and work toward a solution,” said Ramzi Mansour, Director of the Department of Environmental Management. “I would like to thank the Office of the Mayor, the Department of Health, the Department of Public Works, and the Department of Human Resources, and the hard-working Solid Waste Division staff that worked beyond expectations to continue the services by ‘holding the torch’ as others were out due to the unpredictable COVID-19 Delta variant.”
We appreciate the public for their patience in getting through the ten days of the modified schedule, and we appreciate the hard-working SWD employees for their service. We would also like to thank the public for their understanding and for doing their part in reducing the amount of waste generated on Hawai‘i Island.”
So this leaves one to question. Is this “Outside the box” thinking of “Creative Solutions” an answer to the looming Rubbish and waste disposal for East Hawaii? or a band-aid on a missing limb.
