Staff turnover at Hawaiʻi County has stalled the implementation of new measures aimed at penalizing property owners with illegal junkyards and abandoned vehicles.
When Heidi Jaworksi moved to the Big Island in 2005, she became increasingly aware of the numerous yards cluttered with mangled cars, SUVs, and other abandoned vehicles, particularly in her expansive southwestern community.
Since then, she has been diligently keeping track of various addresses and filing complaints with the police.
Derelict vehicles represent one of the Big Island’s most persistent environmental and safety concerns, with approximately 1,600 vehicles dumped annually, which is nearly a quarter of the 8,000 vehicles abandoned statewide.
These wrecks not only serve as an eyesore but also pose a potential chemical hazard, as they can leak toxic materials into the water table.
Moreover, they often become breeding grounds for vermin and mosquitoes.
Despite various efforts to address the long-standing problem — including a series of state laws enacted in 2022 — progress has been minimal, as many people find it cheaper and easier to abandon their vehicles rather than go through the formal process of surrendering them.
In some cases, property owners even profit from selling parts from these hulking wrecks.
The issue is particularly pronounced in Hawaiian Ocean View, the largest subdivision in the United States, spanning 36 square miles and composed of 11,000 one-acre parcels connected by over 150 miles of roadway.
Located near the southwestern tip of the island, Ocean View is relatively isolated, leading to a situation where cars that break down permanently tend to remain in the area, Jaworski explained.
In a recent interview, she described one property on Oceanview Parkway that is home to three dozen car wrecks.
Another property on Aloha Boulevard is littered with abandoned vans, SUVs, trucks, and heavy equipment, and her list of neglected sites continues.
Jaworski noted that these derelict cars contribute to broader issues, including squatting, break-ins, and theft, stating, “It brings down the whole community, not to mention your house value.”
The county defines a junkyard as any area exceeding 200 square feet used for storing scrap or junk or dismantling vehicles.
This measurement equates to just 0.5% of the one-acre lots in Ocean View, and aerial photographs indicate that many properties meet this definition.
Michelle Galimba, a council member for Hawaiʻi District 6, which includes Ocean View, remarked, “It is a huge problem there.
Some of those lots in Ocean View have hundreds of cars.”
Attempts to seek solutions present challenges.
The cost of private disposal is prohibitive for many residents in a community where the median household income stands at $45,917, which is less than half the statewide median.
The county allows individuals to turn in up to two vehicles each year free of charge, but numerous lots contain dozens of vehicles.
County officials claim some progress has been made in removing abandoned vehicles from roadsides, but they encounter difficulties in areas like Ocean View due to regulatory requirements that only allow towing from private properties when owners apply for assistance through the county’s Vehicle Disposal Assistance Program.
Crime reports from Ocean View between New Year’s Day and the end of March revealed that an abandoned vehicle was reported every two days, but this figure may underrepresent the actual number.
Craig Kawaguchi, who manages the county’s derelict vehicle program, indicated that the sheer number of roads and the expansive area makes it easy for residents to think someone else has already reported a vehicle, which is not always the case.
Moreover, residents in this rural community, which has a population of fewer than 5,000, often fear retaliation for reporting a neighbor’s junk.
The need for reporting is crucial, as inspectors from the county’s Department of Planning can investigate illegal junkyards as part of their code enforcement but only do so in response to complaints.
In an email correspondence, Hawaiʻi County spokesperson Tom Callis stated that inspectors have handled only 10 complaints about illegal junkyards in Ocean View from 2022 through early 2025, without detailing what actions, if any, had been taken in response.
This issue is not confined to Ocean View; it is a statewide concern, prompting several new laws enacted in 2022 designed to equip counties with additional legal tools to tackle abandoned roadside vehicles and illegal junkyards.
Rep. Greggor Ilagan, the Puna lawmaker involved in crafting the legislation, expressed frustration that these new rules have not been implemented in Hawaiʻi County, largely due to staff turnover.
Ilagan, who became House Vice Speaker in 2022, stated that he developed the laws in collaboration with staff members who are no longer employed by the county.
Act 229 authorizes the county’s finance director to share registration and other relevant information with individuals involved in the vehicle disposal program, enabling them to concentrate on chronic offenders.
Ilagan explained that the county found that 20% of the offenders were responsible for 80% of the violations.
The law also grants finance directors additional power to recuperate the costs associated with the disposal of derelict vehicles from registered owners, with escalation options to prohibit the renewal of driver’s licenses and vehicle registrations.
Callis indicated that the county is still exploring how to implement the specifics of these new statutes.
Additionally, Act 228 sets a statewide standard regarding the minimum distance from which abandoned vehicles must be towed after being tagged for removal.
This is intended to prevent the practice of moving wrecks around to evade towing efforts, a strategy that could particularly benefit areas like Ocean View, Ilagan noted.
Despite these ongoing concerns, Callis underscored that abandoned vehicles continue to pose an environmental and health risk to the county and urged residents to report all abandoned vehicles to the police and illegal junkyards to the county planning department.
On the positive front, the county has expanded its abandoned vehicle program, which aids various departments, including the police, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
According to Kawaguchi, the program generally keeps pace with the number of roadside vehicles reported to the police.
In 2018, the program had a budget of $2.4 million and processed 678 vehicles; the budget has since increased to $3.73 million, with 1,581 vehicles processed in 2023-24.
Kawaguchi acknowledged that staffing shortages could lead to delays — tow companies often face their own workforce issues, and the program currently has only two field staff to cover all of Hawaiʻi Island.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll be able to add one or two more employees in the future to help improve overall coverage,” he said.
The responsibility for handling roadside wrecks falls to Torey Keltner, Traffic Services Program Manager at the Hawaiʻi Police Department.
He highlighted that over the past decade, the county has made strides in tracking abandoned vehicles on roadways through better identification and consistent reporting practices.
Last year, police mounted investigations on 3,500 vehicles, identifiable through fluorescent pink stickers that warn owners of violations and the imminent risk of removal within 24 to 72 hours.
Kawaguchi mentioned an improvement in public engagement, stating that in fiscal year 2023, just over 100 vehicles were disposed of through an assistance program.
In fiscal year 2024, that number increased to around 500.
Abandoned vehicles in acceptable condition are sold at public auctions, and if they do not sell, they are taken to permitted scrap metal facilities or processed for shipping to the U.S. mainland or foreign countries.
Civil Beat’s coverage of environmental issues on Hawaiʻi island is supported in part by a grant from the Dorrance Family Foundation.
image source from：https://www.civilbeat.org/2025/04/hawaiian-ocean-view-has-abandoned-cars-for-as-far-as-the-eye-can-see/
