Question: I have been calling for two days about bulky pickup and they say I can go to the computer and make an appointment. But what are you to do if you don’t have a computer? I’m 88 years old and I would like to have some things picked up. I need to talk to a live person about this. Is there a way?
Answer: Yes. Although the city’s Department of Environmental Services prefers that residents of metro Honolulu (Foster Village to Hawaii Kai) go online to www.opala.org to make an appointment, that is not the only option. People like you who lack internet access can call 768-3200 during normal business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, except holidays). Once the recorded greeting begins, press zero to bypass the long message and reach the Honolulu Bulky Item Collection Pilot Program. In the likely event that you reach that program’s voicemail, leave a brief message; someone will call you back.
As you noted, the voicemail greeting tells people they can make an appointment online, but doesn’t mention another reservation method. It does say “if you would like a call back, leave a message,” and that’s what people who lack internet access or who initially need help navigating the online appointment system should do.
The department is fielding “well over” 150 calls a day about bulky-item pickup from people in the pilot region making appointments over the phone or asking to be guided through the online reservation process, or from people needing general information, said Markus Owens, a department spokesman.
“If all of our designated people are either on the phone or out in the field, (calls) will go to voicemail. It is best for the public to leave a message with their name and telephone number so someone can call them back, either when they return to the office or the next business day,” he said.
On a related note, the department has activated an online survey to gather feedback about the pilot program, which changed the way bulky trash is collected in metro Honolulu (from Foster Village to Hawaii Kai). Residents of single-family homes can find the survey at 808ne.ws/sfsur. Only customers who have scheduled an online appointment should fill it out.
The city is already tweaking its service to multi-unit buildings in the pilot area, based on immediate feedback from building managers, who had said the initial process was too cumbersome.
Residents outside the pilot area remain under the old system, leaving bulky-trash items at the curb once a month for scheduled pickup.
Q: Where can I replace the proof of my divorce?
A: Assuming that you were divorced in Hawaii, start with the state Department of Health’s Office of Health Status Monitoring, which preserves Hawaii’s vital records (birth, death, civil union, marriage and divorce certificates). Its website says it has divorce records from July 1951 to December 2002; all other divorce records are kept in the court where the divorce occurred. For more information, go to health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords/ or call 586-4533.
Auwe
Auwe to the careless smoker who flicked ash on my son’s stroller as we passed the bus stop at Ala Moana on Monday. No acknowledgement. No apology. Nothing but a smirk. He shouldn’t have been smoking there anyway. — Reader
Mahalo
Many thanks to the kind fellow who assisted when I lost my balance at the mall, where I enjoy people-watching and getting my daily exercise. I walk the same loop every time but in this heat I felt a little woozy. This man (a tourist, I believe) noticed and came to my aid before I fainted. Mahalo. — Senior walker
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.
