Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Mail carriers always
should put flags downQuestion: Does the U.S. Postal Service have a new policy regarding the red flag on the mailbox? Whenever I used to put mail for pickup in my mailbox, I would put the red flag up, and the carrier would always put it down. That way, I knew the mail was picked up. But several times recently, the carrier took the mail, but just left the flag up. Is this a new policy, or does this carrier not know he should put the flag down?
Answer: The carrier should be putting the flag down to indicate that there is nothing in the mailbox to be picked up, said Lynne Moore, manager of consumer affairs for the U.S. Postal Service in Hawaii.
"The policy has not changed," she said. If your carrier fails to do this, notify your delivery station "and the carrier will be told to put the flag down."
The stations are listed in the phone directory, but all calls are directed to a centralized number, 800-275-8777. If you give your ZIP code, you will be directed to your local station.
Mahalo
To the city and participating companies for the recycling tour I took on Nov. 13. It was very interesting. Afterwards, I came away interested in what kind of recycling we have for our island. I hope the city will have more of these tours to help our recycling efforts. -- Gary Cruz(This was the fourth year of the city-sponsored Tour de Trash, but the first in which the response was overwhelming, says Suzanne Jones, the city's recycling coordinator.
("We didn't expect that much interest from the public in getting up close and personal with garbage," she said. About 250 people were divided into six different bus tours for a full day of touring garbage processing sites, such as HPOWER, the Honouliuli Wastewater Treatment Plant and Waimanalo landfill; recycling facilities, such as Hawaii Metal Recycling and Honolulu Recovery Systems; composting facilities, such as Hawaiian Earth Products; as well as private businesses with model recycling programs, including Kahala Mandarin Oriental, Young Laundry & Dry Cleaning and Hard Rock Cafe.
(Jones said the big Tour de Trash program, free to the public, is held once a year in November, to coincide with America Recycle Day. However, because there was such a big demand this year, with 300 people on the waiting list, a series of mini-tours will be held once a month from January through April.
(They will be free no-frills, half-day tours leaving from Kapolei to the HPOWER plant, a landfill, a composting company and a metal recycler.
(Jones said the public can call 692-5410 to sign up for these mini-tours. She emphasized, however, that people on the current wait list will have priority. If there is a big demand, more mini tours may be scheduled.
("The more people understand how we process garbage, how we recycle, what's working really well; the more they see HPOWER and the landfill, as we start making decisions for the future, we'll get more cooperation and more creative thinking from everybody," she said. "So it's in our interest to do this.")
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