KAILUA-KONA — The county Department of Environmental Management closed transfer stations at Keauhou, Keei and Pahala on Friday morning beginning at 9 a.m. because of what it described as an “unanticipated staffing shortage.”
Environmental Management stated in a press release that all three stations would reopen for normal operating hours following the closures. For Keauhou and Pahala, that’s from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. today. Keei will reopen from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.
Until Sunday, residents who typically use the Keei station can take rubbish to the West Hawaii Sanitary Landfill, also known as the Puuanahulu Landfill, which is open from 7 a.m.-4:15 p.m. today. The Kealakehe Transfer Station also is open from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. today.
Additionally, the Keei station’s green waste site is closed indefinitely. Though originally scheduled to reopen Sunday, the facility reached maximum capacity as dictated by the state Department of Health. The county recommends people deposit their green waste at the Kealakehe Transfer Station, which accepts such deposits from 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
Environmental Management’s announcement about Friday’s reduction in transfer station accessibility was the third of its kind in less than three months. The Pahala station was closed early last Friday for the same reason, while the Keei station wrapped up business hours prematurely in the beginning of January because of a lack of staff. Both of those early closures also took place on Fridays.
Michael Kaha, deputy chief of the Solid Waste Division, said Friday’s issue was because of an incident that occurred earlier in the week, which affected multiple personnel. The previous two closures, however, were more sudden.
“I believe that we have the amount of people that we need to be at work,” he said. “I think the struggle is always going to be people not showing up to work. The issue is when they call in sick.”
Kaha said only one equipment operator is needed at each transfer station to make it viable for use on days of operation. On the civil side of the workforce, he said, labor services aren’t employed and staff decisions are made according to the budget.
Email Max Dible at mdible@westhawaiitoday.com.