Question: Where does the city take our green waste, and what do they do with it?
Answer: Waste from the green carts on Oahu’s three-cart disposal routes is taken to Hawaiian Earth Recycling in Wahiawa, where that company processes it into compost and sells it, said Markus Owens, a spokesman for the city Department of Environmental Services.
Green waste includes yard trimmings, leaves, grass clippings, garden fruit and vegetables, and natural Christmas trees. It should be placed loose in the green cart.
Hawaiian Earth Recycling describes itself as the largest producer of compost in Hawaii and the only licensed facility to make and sell compost on Oahu monitored by the state Department of Health.
Compost, created through the decomposition of organic material, is a nutrient- rich soil improvement that is used in farming, gardening, landscaping, erosion control and in other ways.
Q: Can commercial operators drop off junk at the Waimanalo Convenience Center?
A: No. The city’s six refuse disposal convenience centers, including the one in Waimanalo, are for residential users. Delivery vehicles are limited to cars, minivans, pickup trucks and other noncommercial vehicles, according to the city Department of Environmental Services. No trailers are allowed.
To be clear, there is a distinction between commercial vehicles (which aren’t allowed) and ones owned by businesses (which are allowed as long as they meet the vehicle requirements and are dropping off residential waste). So, for one example, a business-owned pickup truck would be OK if the junk was from the driver’s own home, but not if it was from a commercial job site, according to the department’s website.
Residents are limited to dropping off two loads per day. There is no added fee for the service.
Q: I am moving at the end of the month. The appointment for curbside pickup is after I am gone. Can I leave it on the curb early? I can’t take it to the dump.
A: No, that would be against the law and create an eyesore for your soon-to-be former neighbors. Perhaps one has a truck you can borrow so you can take it to the nearest convenience center. As noted in the previous question, there wouldn’t be a fee. Or, hire a private hauler.
Your question highlights the importance of calling well ahead for bulky item curbside pickup, now that the city has switched to an appointment system for metro Honolulu (Foster Village to Hawaii Kai).
Appointments are made online (start at opala.org) or by calling 768-3200.
Mahalo
Much mahalo to the Honolulu Police Department and the gentleman who stopped to help two ladies on the town-bound side of the H-3 freeway at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Thanks also to the tow truck company Eastside for the fast service and aloha for the ladies, whose car had two flat tires due to debris in the H-3 tunnel town-bound. — Ethel
Mahalo
A big mahalo to the very generous lady who paid for my mother-in-law’s pedicure on June 6 at Place of Perfection in Kaneohe. I mentioned to Kim, the owner, that Grandma Hanako was hesitant about getting her first manicure and pedicure, which she needed in preparation for her 100th-birthday celebration on June 11!
She enjoyed the service, and afterward, to our surprise, we were informed that a kind lady named Bonnie had already paid for her pedicure! Grandma was very surprised and could not believe that this had happened to her. Thank you very much, Bonnie! May you be blessed many times for making Grandma very happy! — Grateful Daughter-in-Law
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.
