DOH fines Pearl City tow company more than $200K for violations | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
The Hawaii Department of Health has ordered a Pearl City towing company to cease operations and fined it more than $200,000 for failing to properly store and remove solid waste from its site.
GEORGE F. LEE / JAN. 13The State of Hawaii Department of Health Building located at Beretania and Punchbowl. The Hawaii Department of Health has ordered a Pearl City towing company to cease operations and fined it more than $200,000 for failing to properly store and remove solid waste from its site. The department fined ABC Towing & Parts at 794H Lehua Ave. , and its property owner, JH Hawaii Property LLC of Honolulu, a total of $213,800 for the violations. Separately, it levied an additional $205,900 fine against ABC Towing for operating a solid waste management site without a permit. Anotice of violation and orderrequires the companies to immediately cease and desist accumulating solid waste, and to remove all solid waste at the site within 60 days. “Failure to follow state regulations regarding solid waste management poses risks to public health and the environment,” said Deputy Director for Environmental Health Kathleen Ho in a news release. “We are issuing this order to hold the operator and landowner accountable to clean up the site as quickly as possible. ”The order also requires the company to submit a work plan and implementation schedule to DOH for review within 60 days. According to DOH, ABC Towing & Parts’ solid waste management permit expired on Oct. 31, 2025, and only allowed the company to operate a vehicle-salvaging facility. DOH subsequently sent ABC a warning letter, including one delivered by hand, and initiated multiple attempts to inspect the site. Don't miss out on what's happening!Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It's FREE!By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser's and Google'sTerms of ServiceandPrivacy Policy. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. DOH inspectors conducted an inspection on June 23 and observed numerous violations, including a pile of mixed trash on the bare ground containing lumber, plastic, and mattresses, which appeared to exceed 10,000 cubic yards. The notice of violation described it as the equivalent of 75 feet, or five car lengths wide, 15 feet long, and 20 feet, or four car heights high. Inspectors also found another 3,700 cubic yards of mixed scrap metal and appliances, about 50 junk cars stacked three to four cars high in multiple areas, and about 21,000 tires in various bales on the property. They also found a shed in the vehicle processing area with the words “Used Gasoline” painted along the back wall, and eight plastic tote tanks, some of which were in poor condition, filled with unlabeled liquids. The roof of the shed appeared to be “in imminent danger of a collapse,” with an adjacent waste pile leaning over it, the notice said. The respondents have 20 days following receipt of the NOVO to contest it and request a hearing. In March 2025, DOH also fined the same two parties $55,000 for discharging pollutants into Waiawa Stream and for operating without a required national pollutant discharge permit.