KAILUA-KONA — The Kealakehe and Waimea greenwaste sites remained closed Tuesday, the county said in a press release.
The closures were due to a fire that broke out Sunday night at West Hawaii Organics Facility in Waikoloa, where those sites take their greenwaste.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
The Department of Environmental Management said it hopes to reopen all nearby greenwaste sites today, with the exception of Keei, which will reopen on Friday.
Hawaiian Earth Recycling employees on Monday worked to contain the fire, which the Puako Fire Department advised them to do.
“The fire affects Waimea because we collect greenwaste there and then transport it to Puuanahulu for processing,” Bill Kucharski, director of Environmental Management, told West Hawaii Today on Monday. “Since we cannot take the greenwaste anywhere, it does affect the collection at Waimea.”
When the West Hawaii Organics facility is safe to reopen, the Kealakehe and Waimea greenwaste sites should reopen as well.
Residents and commercial greenwaste customers are asked to hold on to their greenwaste if they can, or they may take their greenwaste to the East Hawaii Organics Facility in Hilo.