Some of the 250 discarded tires collected by the
Tantalus Community Association during a
recent cleanup along Tantalus Drive.
Photo by George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
ANSWER: The tire-dumping on Tantalus is considered a relative molehill when it comes to illegal dumps. With only two investigators, the state Health Department has its hands full with "huge illegal dumps" - acres in size - on the Waianae Coast, including one that caught fire this summer, said solid waste coordinator John Harder. By his count, there are 45-50 major illegal dump sites on Oahu.
That's not to minimize the Tantalus problem, he said. The tires become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and are fire hazards.
But "other than trying to stake someone there overnight, it's difficult to find out who's doing this," Harder said. He's looking first at education, informing tire wholesalers/retailers that, under the law, the generator of any solid waste is ultimately responsible for its disposal. Even if they hire a hauler, they have to make sure the job is done legally, in this case, taken to one of two commercial tire shredders on Oahu.
"We're recommending that the generator doesn't pay the hauler until he comes back with an invoice" proving the haul was made, Harder said.
He's also trying to find a way to track down the culprits. Violators face a fine of up to $10,000 a day.
But lucky you live Hawaii.
"We don't have the tire problem like the mainland," where a dump of 100,000 tires is considered small, he said.
Mahalo to Todd L.K. Ashida and David Kauahi who changed a flat tire for me at 11:45 p.m. Oct. 11 at St. Louis Heights Drive and Waialae Avenue. They were getting gas at the Chrvron station when I asked if they could help. They agreed without hesitation and didn't even groan when they saw a trunkload of stuff that had to be moved to get out my spare. -- LJH