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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Shutdown of HPOWER delays trash pickups
Question: Why aren't the refuse bins at the Waipahu Convenience Center being emptied daily?
Every day, it seems that all the bins are almost completely filled, so the attendant allows only two vehicles at a time to empty their trash.
This causes a backlog of vehicles on Waipahu Depot Road. Sometimes we're turned back because the bins are filled, and other times we're so frustrated waiting that we leave. What's the cause of our "in-convenience" center?
Answer: The delays can be traced to the closure of the HPOWER plant for maintenance and repair.
Trash bins are emptied daily at all the city's convenience centers, said Wayne Hamada, disposal operations engineer for the city Refuse Division.
However, he explained that when HPOWER is shut down, refuse trucks are diverted to the landfill, making for a very busy site.
That, in turn, causes delays for convenience center trucks, and "our ability to service the centers is slowed down considerably," Hamada said.
The slowdown will continue for a while, since maintenance work at HPOWER is expected to last through mid-August. Normal service is expected to resume after that, Hamada said.
Q: Why does the city treat pickup trucks rented to haul household trash to the neighborhood convenience centers as commercial vehicles?
I was clearing a lot, so rented a small pickup truck to haul the junk away. I was told by an attendant at Waimanalo Refuse Transfer Station that I had to either go to the Kapaa Transfer Station or Waimanalo Gulch in Waianae because the city considers any rental truck or car a commercial vehicle. I could understand not allowing a large moving truck or commercially owned truck, but a pickup truck with household items?
A: It might be of little consolation now, but the attendant was wrong.
The city's "Homeowner Policy" allows individuals to use pickup trucks "regardless of whether they are privately owned, have commercial plates, (are) owned by a company or rented," said Wayne Hamada, disposal operations engineer for the city Refuse Division.
"We will correct the guard's understanding," he said.
Q: Several months ago a car apparently ran into two sections of a cement wall on the mauka side of Kalanianaole Highway, between Laukahi and Analii streets, adjacent to Waialae Iki District Park. The broken cement rubbish is still there. Is anyone ever going to fix the broken walls?
A: We were told Wednesday that the state Department of Transportation's highways maintenance division had put in a work order to repair the wall.
The contractor is scheduled to begin removing the planter boxes in front of the park this week or next.
If the identity of a driver causing damage to state property can be confirmed, a bill will be sent to the vehicle owner, said transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa. This fact might explain "why there are a lot of hit-and-runs in these situations."
Got a question or complaint? Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered. E-mail to
kokualine@starbulletin.com.
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