Question: I have a question about the trash can/bin. Once we put it out for collection, a neighbor puts their wet trash in other bins, including ours. They claim that once it’s on the street, it belongs to the city and county. We try to keep our bin clean and dry so it doesn’t smell. When they place their wet trash in our bin, we need to wash it out after collection. Please advise.
Answer: The rubbish bin belongs to you, the property owner.
Rules about Oahu’s municipal garbage collection are spelled out in Chapter 9 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, which defines terms such as the “owner” of the trash being collected.
According to Sec. 9-1.2, “an ‘Owner’ is the person assessed the real property tax as shown by the records of the director of budget and fiscal services and the records, if any, in the office of the assistant registrar of the land court,” said Markus Owens, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Environmental Services.
In addition, Sec. 9-1.15, which covers the replacement of damaged carts, says that “city-provided carts are the responsibility of the owner and/or occupant.” (The city doesn’t charge the owner to repair or replace carts damaged due to normal wear and tear, but may charge $75 per cart for those that are damaged intentionally.)
Given that that the property holder, not the city, owns the cart, we wondered whether people who put garbage in others’ carts violate ROH Sec. 9-1.6, which prohibits removing or disturbing without authorization any refuse, green waste and other recyclable materials that have been set out for collection.
The Refuse Division doesn’t see it that way, Owens said.
“Disturbing … would be jostling or moving around garbage to remove items from the refuse cart. Adding refuse, green waste, or other recyclable material to a receptacle would not constitute ‘disturbing’ the refuse, green waste or other recyclable material,” he said.
The Refuse Division does not enforce any sharing of space in refuse carts, he said, but does “encourage neighbors to seek the approval of the appropriate owner before placing their trash in the owner’s receptacle.”
That’s common courtesy, and it’s a shame that your neighbor disregards your concerns.
Q: On the manual garbage collection routes, are there rules on what kind of containers you can put out? My neighbor uses some funky stuff.
A: Yes. ROH Sec. 9-1.4 (a)(3)(A)(B) specifies the use of durable or nondurable containers on manual collection routes:
>> Durable containers: “The interior surface of the container shall be smooth with no projections and the top diameter shall be equal to or larger than the bottom diameter. The container shall have a capacity of at least 10 gallons but not more than 35 gallons. The maximum weight of an empty container shall be 25 pounds. The maximum weight of a filled container shall be 75 pounds. Every container holding any garbage shall have a tight fitting lid.”
>> Nondurable containers: “Nondurable containers made of plastic film, paper or cardboard may be used if such containers are able to contain their contents securely at all times. The maximum weight for filled nondurable containers shall be 50 pounds. Such containers shall be collected together with their contents.”
Mahalo
Mahalo to a very generous gentleman from Sri Lanka. My mother and I were having lunch at the McCully Shopping Center a few days ago when the manager of the restaurant told us that this gentleman paid for our lunch. We were not only very surprised, but grateful as well because it was so unexpected. We certainly will follow his example and light up someone’s day. — Delighted diners
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
