Question: It’s great that you publicize the community recycling events, but could you please tell people never to drop off early? This becomes a problem when events are held at schools or churches and stuff stacks up in the parking lot the day or even days before. It takes up needed space and also attracts other junk that we can’t recycle. Or it rains, which ruins stuff we could have recycled. You get the idea. We sponsor an event annually and we don’t want to give it up, but we do need people to follow the rules.
Q: How come they never seem to have the drive-thru recycling events on the East Side? One would be appreciated now with the changes in bulky pickup.
Answer: As to the first question, absolutely: Donors should never drop off items before the event begins, or after it ends. Drop off only during scheduled hours, when volunteers are on hand to unload your car and properly divvy up items among the companies that participate in these regular Going Green community recycling events.
We checked with coordinator Rene Mansho to gauge whether this is a growing problem; she said it seems limited mainly to a few schools. For example, volunteers at Kaimuki High School last year had to deal with broken glass from computers, TVs or other stuff that had been scavenged because the items were dropped off prematurely. Kaimuki High is hosting another e-waste recycling event on Sept. 28, and Mansho emphasized that no one — not even school employees — should leave items in the parking lot the night before.
“With the e-waste, it’s a cybersecurity issue, too. You don’t want (passersby) scavenging through that stuff,” she said. During the actual event, e-waste such as computers, printers and monitors is handled carefully. “It goes straight on the pallet to get shrink-wrapped” before being shipped to the mainland for processing by professional recycling companies, she said.
So — to protect yourself, to save the volunteers who staff these events from extra, messy work and to ensure that your items are actually recycled — don’t drop off stuff early.
As for the second question: There’s a Going Green event this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Maunalua Bay Beach Park parking lot (6505 Kalanianaole Highway) in Hawaii Kai.
The following items will be accepted: Computers, monitors, printers and scanners; one TV per car; plastic and aluminum HI-5 plastic or aluminum beverage containers; auto and boat lead-acid batteries (no other types of batteries); usable clothing and household items, including prom dresses, women’s business suits and accessories; used eyeglasses and hearing aides; towels and blankets. Canned goods, including pet food, also will be collected.
This is not a shredding event; no paper will be accepted.
Q: We were excited when we heard there would be a new dog park in Moiliili. It was supposed to open in August, but nothing. Any update?
A: The expected opening of an off-leash dog park at Kalo Place Mini Park has been postponed until at least October, to give the new grass more time to grow, according to the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation.
The 1-acre park, at 2705 Varsity Place on the eastbound side of the H-1 freeway, closed in early April, initially for maintenance. The closure was extended after the Hawaiian Humane Society donated $275,000 so the city could build an off-leash dog park at the site, with separate sections for large and small dogs. The city had previously expected the dog park to open Aug. 30.
Mahalo
Mahalo to the couple who helped my mom at the Kapo- lei mall. She became overheated while waiting for a ride. They got her water and waited with her until I arrived. — Grateful daughter
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.
