FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                      April 2, 2007

Release No. M-30-07 

METAL RECYCLING PILOT PROJECT BEGINS AT LANDFILL

Operators of the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill will begin a two-month pilot project to recover metal from the waste stream as part of the City’s efforts to expand recycling and stretch the life of the landfill.

The 60-day project begins this week. Waste Management Hawaii, which operates the City landfill under contract, will use a large electromagnet to remove ferrous metals from the incoming solid waste. The metal will be hauled to Schnitzer Steel in Campbell Industrial Park for recycling.

“If this pilot project works the way we expect, this will become a permanent program,” said Mayor Mufi Hannemann. “Not only will it save rapidly dwindling space in our only municipal landfill, but it will also improve our efforts to move Oahu toward the 21^st Century Ahupua‘a concept of sustainability. We will be recovering discarded metal for reuse, rather than simply burying it.”

The City already recovers metal from the H-POWER garbage-to-energy plant, where much of Oahu’s solid waste is burned to generate electricity. However, the pilot project will recover metal that goes directly to the landfill, primarily from the City’s refuse convenience stations and bulky item pickup.

Recycling steel saves material and energy that would otherwise be consumed to produce new steel, Hannemann noted.

After the 60-day pilot project ends, Waste Management Hawaii and the City Department of Environmental Services will evaluate the results.

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Media Contacts:

            Bill Brennan, 527-6928

            Mark Matsunaga, 527-5767