Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Question: I had some corrugated sheet metal, about 5 to 6 feet long, that I put out for bulky item pickup. I thought they missed it, but when I called the city, the lady told me I had to cut it up. I told her I don't have a metal cutter, but she insisted I had to cut it. So I asked her, if I had a refrigerator, would I have to cut that up, too? Why have bulky item pickups if they don't pick up bulky items? Also, they apparently have rules that they don't publicize. Someone else at the city said if I had pipes, I would have to cut them also. Safety, space key in
bulky item pickupAnswer: Actually, if you had a lot of the corrugated metal, it would be considered demolition material and not accepted at all for bulky item pickup, according to Dave Shiraishi, the city's refuse collection administrator.
However, because you had only a few pieces and they were relatively short, you were asked to cut them. It turned out that, because the metal was flexible, folding them in half also would have been acceptable, Shiraishi said.
The city asks that lengthy items be cut to lessen the possibility of injuries to collectors and also to make for better "compaction" on the collection trucks, he said.
Most households should have received "Taking Care of Garbage" -- a refuse and recycling guide for Oahu -- via the MidWeek publication about a year and a half ago. If you would like another copy, you need to go down to the Refuse Division office in the Honolulu Municipal Building, 650 S. King St., sixth floor, weekdays during regular office hours.
Or check the division's Web site: www.opala.org.
In general, furniture, mattresses, bed frames and box springs, rolled up and fastened carpeting, appliances and large branches cut to 3-foot lengths will be collected as bulky items.
The city won't pick up construction materials, demolition debris, dirt, rock, concrete, large automobile parts and any refuse that can be picked up via the regular rubbish collection.
Q: I have some pieces of cement holding the T-pole of our clothesline. Where can I dispose of this?
A: You need to take the cement to the Waimanalo Gulch landfill in Ewa, said city refuse collection administrator Dave Shiraishi. Call 668-2985 for information.
Q: Women are being spied on in a public bathroom across the street from the tennis court on Paki Avenue. Children and adolescents are able to climb up on a soda machine, allowing them to look through a certain area. The city has known about this for weeks, but doesn't seem inclined to move the machine even though I complained to just about everyone from the corporation counsel's office to the parks department to the concessions department. Can you help?
A: The Department of Parks and Recreation received your complaint in May, acknowledged director William Balfour. He said the matter was immediately discussed with the Department of Enterprise Services, which monitors the placement and concessions agreement with the soda machine vendor.
The problem should have been resolved by now, with the vendor moving the machine at the end of July, Balfour said.
Auwe
To those who complain about seeing the homeless in public areas. Can't you understand they have no where else to go? Have some compassion in your life. -- No Name
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