Ua Mau Ke Ea O Ka ʻĀina I Ka Pono. The life of the land is perpetuated in righteous.
ANOTHER LANDFILL. SAME COMMUNITY.
From Waimānalo Gulch to Makaiwa Hills. How Long Must West Oʻahu Carry Oʻahu’s Trash?
For decades, the Waiʻanae Coast has carried Oʻahu’s landfill burden.
Now, the City is proposing expanding landfill operations from Waimānalo Gulch directly into adjacent Makaiwa Hills continuing landfill activity immediately above our homes, coastlines, schools, and Native Hawaiian communities.
This page documents the history, violations, public records, proposed expansion plans, and what communities are asking before any decision moves forward.
For generations, Waiʻanae Coast communities have experienced disproportionate environmental burdens
Waiʻanae has hosted Oʻahu’s municipal landfill since 1989
How did we get here?
1989
Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill begins operating on agricultural land under the special approval permits.
Years Following 2000's
Community concerns grow over odor, dust, environmental burden, and disproportionate impacts on Native Hawaiian communities.
2003–2010
Multiple warnings that Oʻahu needed a long-term replacement landfill plan. City acknowledges closure deadlines years in advance.
2022
The LUC approves continued operations but orders Waimānalo Gulch to close by March 2, 2028. Commissioners acknowledge the long-standing burden placed on the Waiʻanae Coast.
2024
The City identified Wahiawā as a potential future landfill site, but the proposal faced major opposition over concerns involving water resources, agricultural lands, and environmental impacts.
2025
Act 255 removes the Wahiawā site from consideration due to groundwater and agricultural land protections.
Current Concerns
Proposed site overlooks: Kapolei, Nānākuli, Māʻili, Waiʻanae coastlines residential communities, future housing areas, cultural landscapes.
April 2026
City identifies Makaiwa Hills as the “only remaining feasible option under current laws and restrictions."
2028
Current landfill permit deadline.
2031 (projected)
Existing landfill expected to reach capacity.
2033 (earliest estimate)
Earliest possible opening timeline for a Makaiwa Hills landfill if approved.
Why Communities Are Concerned
For decades, Waiʻanae Coast communities have raised concerns about pollution, runoff, air quality, and environmental oversight connected to Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill.
Those concerns are not hypothetical.
Federal agencies including the EPA and U.S. Department of Justice have documented violations, illegal discharges, enforcement actions, and long-term corrective orders tied to landfill operations over the years.
As discussions now shift toward expanding landfill operations into Makaiwa Hills, communities are asking what lessons have truly been learned and what protections will exist moving forward.
Communities continue asking:
If this history already exists at Waimānalo Gulch, what protections will exist before expanding operations into Makaiwa Hills?
There is a documented history of violations and enforcement
2002–2005
EPA Clean Air Act Violations
- Landfill gas collection/control failures
- Excessive methane/gas temperatures
- $1.1 million Federal settlement reached
2010
Stormwater Disaster & Ocean Pollution
Heavy storms overwhelmed temporary stormwater systems during landfill expansion work. According to EPA and DOJ records, contaminated runoff mixed with landfill waste, sewage sludge, leachate, and medical waste discharged into the Pacific Ocean.
Medical waste reportedly washed onto Waiʻanae Coast beaches for weeks.
2011
2011
2011
EPA Emergency Orders Issued
EPA issued emergency cleanup and corrective action orders requiring:
- stormwater upgrades,
- monitoring,
- engineering studies,
- erosion controls,
- and long-term corrective measures.
2014
2011
2011
Federal Criminal Indictments
Federal prosecutors indicted Waste Management of Hawaii and landfill managers for alleged:
- Clean Water Act violations,
- conspiracy,
- false reporting,
- and unlawful pollutant discharges tied to the stormwater disaster.
2015
2015
2015
Guilty Plea & Penalties
Waste Management of Hawaii pleaded guilty to negligent discharge of pollutants on multiple occasions.
Penalties included:
- criminal fines,
- restitution,
- and continued federal oversight.
2019
2015
2015
Federal Consent Decree
The City, EPA, Hawaiʻi DOH, and Waste Management entered into a federal consent decree requiring:
- long-term stormwater improvements,
- infrastructure upgrades, monitoring,
- environmental restoration funding.
Today, Communities Continue Asking...
Community asks: Why is West Oʻahu again being asked to carry Oʻahu’s burden?
City says: The City says overlapping legal, environmental, airport, military, and water protection restrictions eliminated other potential landfill sites, leaving Makaiwa Hills as the “only remaining feasible option.”
Community asks: Why wasn’t a real alternative secured before the deadline?
City says: landfill siting restrictions increased significantly under Act 73 and Act 255
- Red Hill contamination concerns changed landfill siting considerations
- many potential locations were eliminated through legal and environmental restrictions
- permitting and siting processes take years to complete
The City also warns Oʻahu faces a disposal capacity crisis if replacement planning is delayed further.
Community asks: How has this impacted our health, water, air, and coastlines?
City says: Landfill operations are regulated under federal and state permits and that monitoring, engineering controls, and required upgrades are in place to manage environmental impacts and maintain compliance. But no Public reports have been shared.
From the ridge above our homes, anything uphill eventually impacts what is below our neighborhoods
Reports & Studies Communities Are Requesting
Full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
Full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
Full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
- environmental risks,
- cultural impacts,
- traffic,
- runoff,
- air quality,
- climate impacts,
- and long-term alternatives.
Independent Watershed & Hydrology Studies
Full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
Full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
- groundwater flow,
- stormwater runoff,
- flood pathways,
- coastal discharge,
- and climate-driven rainfall impacts.
Cumulative Health Impact Assessment
Full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
Cumulative Health Impact Assessment
- landfill operations,
- industrial activity,
- dust,
- air pollution,
- contaminated runoff,
- traffic,
- and other environmental burdens already impacting the Waiʻanae Coast.
Environmental Justice Analysis
Full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
Cumulative Health Impact Assessment
- Native Hawaiian impacts,
- low-income burden distribution,
- cumulative infrastructure siting,
- and geographic equity across Oʻahu.
Alternatives Analysis & Waste Reduction Planning
Alternatives Analysis & Waste Reduction Planning
Alternatives Analysis & Waste Reduction Planning
Communities are requesting transparent analysis showing:
- why alternative sites were eliminated,
- whether laws artificially narrowed options,
- and whether waste diversion strategies were fully explored.
Climate Change & Flood Resilience Studies
Alternatives Analysis & Waste Reduction Planning
Alternatives Analysis & Waste Reduction Planning
- increased rainfall intensity,
- flood risk,
- sea level rise,
- erosion,
- and long-term landfill containment under climate change conditions.
Landfill Compliance & Violation History
Alternatives Analysis & Waste Reduction Planning
Landfill Compliance & Violation History
- EPA violations,
- DOJ indictments,
- stormwater failures,
- landfill gas violations,
- consent decrees,
- and ongoing monitoring obligations.
Cultural Impact Assessment
Alternatives Analysis & Waste Reduction Planning
Landfill Compliance & Violation History
- cultural landscapes,
- Native Hawaiian practices,
- shoreline relationships,
- watershed stewardship,
- traditional gathering,
- and ʻike kūpuna.
Financial & Long-Term Cost Analysis
Financial & Long-Term Cost Analysis
Financial & Long-Term Cost Analysis
- long-term maintenance costs,
- environmental remediation costs,
- taxpayer liability,
- and whether expansion is financially preferable to aggressive waste reduction strategies.
Independent Scientific Review
Financial & Long-Term Cost Analysis
Financial & Long-Term Cost Analysis
- hydrologists,
- toxicologists,
- coastal scientists,
- climate scientists,
- and public health experts not contracted by landfill operators.
Waimānalo Gulch Closure Deadline
If Act 73 now results in Makaiwa Hills becoming the only remaining option beside the same communities already burdened for decades, should the law be revisited to allow broader and more equitable siting evaluation across Oʻahu?
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