The top Hawai'i official for the company that runs O'ahu's controversial main garbage dump and some Neighbor Island facilities will transfer to a Mainland job at the end of this month.

Paul Burns, who became Waste Management of Hawai'i general manager in 2005, has accepted a position in Maine with a company subsidiary called Wheelabrator.

Burns had been credited with improving operations at the Waimanalo Gulch landfill in Leeward O'ahu to prevent foul odors and windblown debris that had angered neighbors.

He grappled with other problems at the site recently, including a faulty load-weighing scale and a manager who was fired for allegedly accepting improper payments from debris haulers.

Burns said in a written statement that he took the Maine job so he can care for his ailing father, who lives nearby.

Burns will be replaced by Dave Jappert, director of operations for Waste Management in the Los Angeles area. Jappert oversaw three waste collection companies, three landfills and one transfer station there.

Waste Management of Hawai'i runs the Waimanalo Gulch dump and similar sites on Kaua'i and the Big Island.