Five groups vying for
Kauai trash
By Anthony Sommer
Star-Bulletin
LIHUE -- Five finalists that will compete to provide Kauai's future trash disposal system have been named by a blue-ribbon county committee.
Each represents a different concept to take the place of the existing Kekaha Landfill, expected to reach its maximum capacity in a little over two years.
The bidders were chosen by a committee - whose members initially were kept secret and who met in closed session - appointed by Mayor Maryanne Kusaka.
The list includes:
Canada Composting Inc. of Newmarket, Ontario, and Unitek Solvent Services Ltd., of Honolulu. They are proposing what they say is a "fully integrated resource recovery plant" that will compost organic materials and recycle non-organic trash. The process also produces all the power needed for the plant.
Conporec/S&W Services of Cazenovia, N.Y. The company claims it could compost 75 percent of the material that would otherwise go to a landfill on 10 to 15 acres of land. It has operated a facility in Tracy, Quebec, since 1993.
Gay & Robinson Inc. One of the state's three surviving sugar companies, Kauai-based Gay & Robinson is proposing to burn all the county's organic waste to fuel steam turbines that operate its sugar factory in Kaumakani. Excess electricity would be sold to Kauai Electric.
HUWS of Palograve, Ontario. The company is a licensed manufacturer of the Herhof Biocell System, which composts organic waste and mechanically sorts non-organic waste. The company claims the technology is being used in 50 plants in 10 countries.
SEGHERSbetter Technology, USA of Austell, Ga. The company claims it can convert 100 percent of the island's waste into electricity, avoiding the need for any new landfills. It has plants in the United States, Belgium and Korea.
The companies are scheduled to provide public briefings on Thursday and April 17.
