Honolulu Lite
And so, it is really hard for me to look at the introduction of the new single-can mechanized collection system objectively.
I know new technology can improve our lives. And I don't want to become a miserable old cuss who sits around grousing about the good ol' days.
But we apparently are passing into a new age, the era of mechanized rubbish collection, and I'm already missing the not-so-old days.
The thing I hate the most is that these crummy-looking black-gray garbage receptacles the size of an outhouse have now become part of the Hawaii landscape. They stand like little soldiers along the roadway, ugly in their uniformly oppressive way. The canisters - large enough to house a small family - are simply being left by the road permanently, like minidumpsters.
It is an example of how the needs of government lead to cultural changes. These plastic monoliths are now as much a part of Hawaii as the ukulele, the heiau and shave ice. They have not become icons because they provide entertainment, reflect our religious beliefs or because they make us happy. They are there because they are part of a system that makes it easier on the City & County government to function.
I can't help but think that if we were to allow free enterprise to collect our garbage, companies would compete for our trash (I can't push this too far since the same system is in place on Maui and it is provided by a private company). But remember what happened when telephone companies began to compete? Instead of ugly black phones, we now have automatic redial and phones that look like football helmets. That's progress.
I imagine that if garbage companies were allowed to compete for our refuse - which, because of H-POWER, is a commodity - we would not be expected to use a certain type of garbage can and be forced to place it exactly so many feet from the curb at a certain time of day. A successful garbage company might be willing to come to your door to get your garbage, and provide recycling services as well.
Instead, we have this new blight on the landscape, ubiquitous plastic sentinels guarding the entrance to our driveways.
THIS new method of garbage collection serves the system first, customers second, in much the same way that monopoly cable television repairmen come to your house when it fits their schedules, not yours.
I also don't like the fact that the previous uku pau system, which allowed garbage men to finish their routes quickly so they could go to other jobs, will soon be history. Those guys - and girls - kicked butt. I liked hearing the early morning screeching of the garbage trucks, which reminded me somehow of a whale's song. And by the time I got up, they were pau.
Now, the trucks grind along all day, burning up gasoline and blocking traffic as they pick up one can at a time. On a recent Saturday afternoon, I watched one truck lumber along a neighborhood for hours. One crew under the uku pau system would have been in an out of that neighborhood before the morning coffee was made.
What is good about the new system? Well, I'm sure that there were a lot of injuries to rubbish collectors jumping on and off moving trucks. The new system will cut down on both real and fake worker's compensation claims.
And I admit, it's hard to imagine an automobile assembly line that does not include robots. Progress, as they say, marches on.
We are a modern city and we should use new technology to make our lives better. Sometimes, it's just hard to leave the past in the past.
