Q: Who do I call to report someone littering from his car while driving? About 4:30 p.m., Nov. 21, my son and I were behind a white, Jeep-type car, when the driver started throwing out bits of white paper on Hamakua Drive in Kailua. He did it again on Keolu Drive. I couldn't believe all that litter! My son was in the car and I wanted to make a statement, but these days, you can't beep your horn or cause any kind of confrontation. Still, I feel a civic responsibility to report him. Report habitual litterers
to Litter Control HotlineThe number to call is 538-3166, the Litter Control Hotline, which also will put you in touch with the Governor's Committee on Ending Litter.
The state Health Department's litter control office used to take such calls, but has been dismantled because of budget cuts.
When you call to file a complaint, specify if the litterer is male or female, license plate number, make of car, if possible, and date and place of the incident, said litter coordinator Alescia Blakely.
The information will be given to police. Blakely's office will send a letter to the car's registered owner "to alert them about littering," she said. "If they are habitual litterers, which many are, then they receive a second and third letter."
At that point, Blakely's office would go back to HPD to initiate a process for assessing fines. She admitted this is a slow process. So far this year, two people have been sent notices of $500 fines, but the status of those cases are uncertain.
Whether someone is fined can depend on the number of times someone is caught littering or the amount of litter involved, Blakely said. For example, a man was fined after he failed to retrieve a mattress that flew off the back of his truck onto the freeway.
For bigger litter problems, such as illegal dumping, you can call the Health Department's Office of Solid Waste Management, at 586-4240.
The city has its own environmental concern line, 527-5091, where you can report illegal dumping in storm drains and other environmentally hazardous activity, as well as get information. You can also call police at 911.
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