Abandoned cars
challenge Maui

WAILUKU >> Maui County won't be able to haul away abandoned vehicles if it can't find storage in a couple of weeks, Public Works Director Gilbert Coloma-Agaran said.

The county contracted with Maui Scrap Metal Co. to accept and process vehicles, but the firm has been cited for violating solid-waste rules for processing vehicles.

Before it can process any more vehicles as scrap metal, the company has to bring its facilities into compliance with solid-waste rules, the state said.

Meanwhile, state health officials have issued the county a warning for storing about 600 abandoned and derelict vehicles at a site in Waikapu.

County officials have applied for a state solid-waste permit for the Waikapu site and have been storing abandoned and derelict vehicles at the county base yard in Kahului.

A couple of businesses have also applied to store and process vehicles into scrap metal, state officials said.

County Finance Director Kalbert Young said the department has been looking at alternatives.

"The issue is finding a site and finding an appropriate operator that can do that," Young said. "The county is approaching a very dire and critical situation."

Young said the county is also looking at establishing a site and selecting an operator to perform the duties of storing and processing the vehicles before shipping them as scrap metal.

County officials said the cost of operating a storage and processing facility would be expensive.

Officials noted that Kauai County, which is smaller in population than Maui, has spent $5 million to $6 million to establish a site and is paying $40,000 to $50,000 a month for processing the vehicles.

Maui County usually removes about 2,000 vehicles a year, and the cost of towing and processing to remove hazardous waste could range from $300 to $600 a vehicle, officials said.

Jack Freitas, owner of Maui Tow & Transport Co., said part of the problem is the lack of affordable industrial land where businesses can process abandoned motor vehicles.

Freitas said the ideal site should be near the harbor rather than at the county base yard several miles away in Central Maui.

Young said the county has been identifying the owners of record for the vehicles and billing them for services, including the towing and storage. But he said the department's efforts have been hampered by a shortage of personnel.

Steven Chang, chief of the state solid- and hazardous-waste branch, said he is aware of the county's predicament and prefers the county remove the vehicles from the roads where they could be a hazard.

"We'll try to work with the county and come up with a solution," Chang said.

Chang said the state wants Maui Scrap Metal to conform to solid-waste standards, including the processing of vehicles on concrete slabs rather than dirt.

Chang said he knows money is an issue in conforming with the requirements, but "we don't want to put the public at risk."