As the University of 贬补飞补颈驶颈 aims for zero-waste goals, students got a close up look at how waste is handled on 翱驶补丑耻 through participating in a tour coordinated by the City and County of Honolulu to two waste management facilities: H-POWER and Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill in December.
This initiative, coordinated by the UH Office of Sustainability, in partnership with the Student Sustainability Council, was part of the broader 鈥淭our de Trash鈥� program at UH, which aims to explore the path of our 驶艒辫补濒补 (trash). 鈥淭he tour de trash was very eye-opening in learning how our waste gets managed and what gets done to it,鈥� said Alexander Ah-Tye, a UH student participant. 鈥淭ypically we don鈥檛 give throwing away trash a second thought since it鈥檚 out of sight and out of mind. Seeing it in person really makes you consider how much waste we produce within our island. It made me a little self-conscious of all the times I have haphazardly thrown tons of non-recyclable and non-renewable materials away.鈥�
The first stop was H-POWER, a waste-to-energy facility in Kapolei. Participants witnessed how municipal solid waste is incinerated to generate electricity for 翱驶补丑耻. A highlight was observing crane operators maneuvering massive amounts of waste into the incinerator. H-POWER processes approximately 700 tons of waste annually, showcasing its role in reducing landfill reliance while generating renewable energy.