Question: Will there be regular trash pickup on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2? If not, can I leave my gray bin out for pickup on Dec. 27 and Jan. 3?
Answer: No to the first question, for all residential routes on Oahu that have trash picked up by the city. Yes to the second question, because you live on a three-cart collection route; rules are different for those on twice-a- week manual routes.
Here’s the holiday collection schedule, from Honolulu’s Department of Environmental Services:
>> City workers will not collect garbage, bulky items, recyclables or green waste on Monday, Dec. 26, or Monday, Jan. 2, in observance of Christmas and New Year’s Day, which fall on Sundays.
>> Homes on three-cart collection routes should leave their gray cart (garbage) at the curbside until serviced, but only if their regular service day for the gray cart falls on the holidays. By contrast, recycling days that fall on these holidays will not be made up, so don’t leave a blue or green cart at the curb. Hold mixed recyclables (blue cart) and green waste (green cart) until your next scheduled pickup.
>> Residents on twice- a-week manual refuse collection routes “should hold their items until the next scheduled pickup date.”
>> Bulky item collection, which is by appointment, will not be scheduled on Christmas or New Year’s Day. To schedule an appointment, go to honolulu.gov/opala or call 768-3200 and press zero after the recorded greeting.
>> Convenience centers, transfer stations, H-POWER, and Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill will be closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. All will reopen the following day (Dec. 26 and Jan. 2).
Q: I heard quite a while ago that people on Social Security were going to get something like an 8% increase in their monthly payments, but then I never heard any more about it. When is that going to start?
A: Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits will increase 8.7% to adjust for the cost of living, according to the U.S. Social Security Administration. Increased payments will begin Dec. 30 for more than 7 million SSI beneficiaries, and in January for more than 65 million Social Security beneficiaries, it said. Some people receive both SSI and Social Security payments.
The cost-of-living adjustment also affects taxes and earning limits, SSA explains on its website. For 2023, “the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security tax (taxable maximum) will increase to $160,200,” it says. The earnings limit for workers who are younger than their full retirement age will rise to $21,240, with $1 deducted from benefits for each $2 earned over the limit. The earnings limit for those who reach their full retirement age in 2023 will rise to $56,520, with $1 deducted for each $3 earned over the limit until the month the person reaches their full retirement age. There is no limit on earnings for workers who are their full retirement age or older for the whole year, it says.
Auwe
Auwe! To the driver of the gray pickup truck that cut in front of me as I pulled over to the side of the road and then proceeded to also cut in front of the oncoming ambulance that had its lights and sirens on so as to speed ahead, please remember to be respectful and yield to emergency vehicles — they might be heading to save your loved one! — A doctor
Mahalo
My good friend, who is blind and ambles along with a white cane, and I had just finished our holiday lunch at Zippy’s Vineyard and asked for the check, when our waiter informed us that an “out-of-town” couple had paid for our meal, and left before we could thank them for their generosity! So we will mahalo their kind gesture forward, especially if we see another diner with a white cane! — E.M.K.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
