Kokua Line

By Gregg Kakesako

Thursday, June 20, 1996

Hildegaard Verploegen is on vacation

In our neighborhood, there is an elderly man who goes through all the trash containers looking for aluminum cans or whatever looks usable. We have seen him a few times and asked him not to go through our trash. Since we usually leave for work very early, there is no way of stopping him from going through the trash. What can be done to stop this invasion of privacy?

ANSWER: There are several alternatives. You've already tried one by talking to the individual.

The other would be to separate your recyclable materials from your trash so there would be nothing of value there if all he wanted were the aluminum cans. It would be the responsible way to attack the problem.

The last resort would be to call 911 and have a police officer handle the problem. It is against the law to remove or disturb trash once it is placed on the curb for pickup, according to a Honolulu Police Department spokesman.

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