Kaua‘i County is planning a new municipal solid waste landfill (MSWLF) at Ma‘alo located in the Hanamā‘ulu and Wailua ahupua’a and Puna moku of Kaua‘i. The MSWLF site is approximately 4 miles north of Līhu‘e, east of Ma‘alo Road, west of Kālepa Ridge and Kūhiō Highway, and more than 1 mile inland from the Pacific Ocean. The proposed MSWLF site is owned by the State of Hawai‘i and on a portion of Tax Map Key (TMK) (4) 3-9-002:020 (por.). A new access road and utility corridor would also be built to reach the MSWLF site.
The purpose of the new Ma‘alo MSWLF is to provide long-term, landfill capacity for Kaua‘i County. The need arises because Kaua‘i's only permitted landfill, Kekaha Landfill, is projected to reach capacity in 2030. The proposed Kekaha Landfill Cell 3 Vertical Expansion that is currently under environmental review, would add an estimated 10 years of additional capacity to the Kekaha Landfill, depending on future waste intake rates and potential waste diversion strategies (i.e. until 2040). The intent of Cell 3 Vertical Expansion is to provide interim landfill capacity until the new Ma‘alo landfill can be permitted, designed, and constructed.
The proposed new Ma’alo Landfill Project includes construction and operation of: 1) a new 270-acre MSWLF facility, 2) a new approximate 2.8-mile off-site access road; and 3) utility infrastructure to support the landfill. The MSWLF facility would be comprised of landfill disposal area and facilities necessary to support landfill operations including an office, maintenance area, scale house, drop-off area, internal roadways and parking lot, a lined leachate evaporation pond, and a stormwater basin. The proposed new MSWLF will meet all applicable federal and state solid waste management rules. The planning, design, permitting and construction of the new MSWLF at Ma’alo is expected to take 10 years.
Selection of the new landfill site at Ma‘alo is the culmination of three different siting studies conducted over a 20-year period. Eight possible landfill sites were evaluated against state and federal landfill siting criteria, engineering and technical criteria, cost, and 26 community-based criteria. Ma‘alo was identified as the preferred alternative because it ranked #1 on the community criteria evaluation, is centrally located to minimize traffic and fuel use, has the least annual cost, and provides the longest projected operational lifespan.
The landfill will be built in phases. The total area where waste can be placed is about 160.5 acres. Each phase contains smaller sections called cells. These cells are built one at a time as needed. Building the landfill this way helps control costs and makes it easier to manage things like landfill gas and leachate (the liquid that forms when water passes through waste).
Each cell will have:
From start to finish, developing a new landfill on Kaua‘i is a long process. Based on the County’s past experience, permitting, design, and construction typically take about 10 years or more.
Maalo Proposed Landfill Development Schedule(PDF, 587KB)