DOH investigates after piles of construction material are dumped at property

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Department of Health said it is actively investigating a property on 20th Avenue in Kaimuki after neighbors raised concerns about piles of construction material.

The DOH was on the property Thursday afternoon.

A carport and a single-family home sit among what appears to be piles of debris, mostly uncovered.

“Well they came in, dumped some concrete onto the lot,” said a neighbor, who wishes to be anonymous.

She said trucks have been dumping piles of what appears to be construction debris since February.

There are approved building permits at the property to build a new house and demolish the old one, according to the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting.

But the city said any debris must go to the PVT landfill in Waianae.

Environmental activist Carroll Cox said the property has the makings of an illegal dumpsite.

“The size of the material, the lead paint, it’s not covered,” said Cox. “There’s no construction screen or anything to prevent dust, no cover on anything.”

And on top of the environmental hazards, he has worries about safety.

“There is rebar here,” Cox said. “Imagine children coming in here playing with that. And it will happen.”

The owner of the property spoke to Hawaii News Now after a reporter contacted their contractor. They insisted the material is not debris but will be used to build their potential home.

The contractor could not answer whether the paperwork justified the piles of material.

When asked about whether or not they had a permit to keep those materials on the property, he answered “I don’t know.”

Late Thursday afternoon, a black dust covering was put up around the debris field.

The city said they will be sending an inspector to take a look at the property and only then can they make the call to see if there are any violations.

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