Ewa dump site State officials were to inspect a city temporary waste dump near the Ewa Villages Golf Course today that has been the subject of neighborhood complaints.
stirs complaints
The city will clean up
the smelly waste heap
at Ewa Villages linksBy Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.com"It is putrid," said Karen Alexander, the wife of Ewa Neighborhood Board chairman Jeff Alexander. "It's disgraceful."
An anonymous person notified Jeff Alexander of the accumulating trash heap near the maintenance shack of the city golf course.
After media inquiries yesterday, city spokeswoman Carol Costa said the site will be cleaned up today.
Costa said the site at the Ewa Villages Golf Course was used as a temporary "holding area for piles of green waste," before the waste is taken to the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill.Alexander agreed that a holding area for grass clippings and other green waste is justifiable, but he can't condone piles of food waste left at the site.
"It's got to stop," he said.
Alexander said food and paper containers were found in ripped garbage bags. "They're making their own trash bin," he said.
Karen Alexander said the rotten food attracts feral cats, dogs and mongooses. "When you have stuff out like that, it attracts feral animals to breed more," she said.
Janice Okubo, spokeswoman of the state Department of Health, said its permissible for the city to have a holding area for green waste.
However, if there is food at the site, there may be rat control issues. If there is evidence of rats and feral cats, the matter will be turned over to the vector control, she said.Lene Ichinotsubo, an engineer with the Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch, said inspectors will also be questioning workers and examining the area to look for any evidence it is more than temporary dump. Operating a permanent dump site without a permit is against the law.
Operators of an illegal dump site can be fined up to $10,000 or even face criminal penalties.
Barry Fukunaga, director of the city Department of Enterprise Services, which manages the city golf courses, was also to visit the site today to determine if there is a better way to handle the green waste, Costa said.
Costa said it is difficult for city refuse workers to pick up the trash near the golf course because it is located in a remote area.