Waste Management General Manager Joe Whelan recently noticed the discrepancy while observing the landfill’s only scale. He said some three person crews would weigh their trucks with everyone onboard, but one the way out, two of the workers would get out of the vehicle.
“Of course then when the truck weighs out it weighs less,” explained Whelan. “So that means it counts as more garbage being disposed of then actually was.”
Last week WM issued a memo to the city alerting the Environmental Services Department about the practice. A copy of the memo was obtained by environmental activist Carroll Cox of the Carroll Cox Radio Show, who in turn gave it to Khon2. The memo says overcharges averaged a quarter of a ton per truckload when crews did not follow standard procedure while weighing in and weighing out.
Honolulu City Council Chairman Ernie Martin commended WM for bringing the issue to light. He said he’s curious to find out how much money the city may have lost in tipping fees.
“We probably will ask for Public Works Chair Stanley Chang to have this calendared on his committee and then ask for a more detailed explanation,” said Martin. "Hopefully it wasn’t very significant, but if it was I think it’s a concern.”
Every time a private hauler or bulky item crew dumps trash at the landfill the city pays Waste Management $17.26 per ton. An inaccurate measure of a quarter of a ton per truck would result in an overcharge of only a few dollars, however those dollars can quickly add up.
Environmental Services Director Tim Steinberger says it’s unclear if the city lost any significant amount of money.
“Did it actually cost the city from what we would normally pay or not pay? It’d be really hard to put a dollar value on it,” he said.
All private haulers and bulky item crews have now been advised to follow a standard procedure when arriving at the landfill scale, and then once again on the way out.
“The memo that went out says that all members have to be, with the exception of the driver, have to be out of the cabin,” said Steinberger.
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See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
