Editorials

[ OUR OPINION ]

City’s recycling program
worth carrying out

THE ISSUE Mayor Harris has introduced a recycling program that may reduce the need for landfills and cut costs for garbage disposal.

THE city's proposed mandatory recycling program could reduce the environmental and financial costs of trash removal on Oahu, and although a number of questions remain about how the plan will work, residents and the City Council are obliged to give the venture due consideration.

Residents unfamiliar with recycling will have to alter their disposal habits, but the change will lessen the need to expand or find more landfills on a small island and trim the amount of waste sent to HPOWER, which costs taxpayers $44 for each of the 2,000 tons a day unloaded at the plant.

Mayor Harris' idea to provide curbside service will encourage people to recycle. At present, conscientious residents must haul newspapers and plastic to recycling centers.

Under the proposal, residents who have automated service would get one pick-up of garbage, including cans, during the week. (The HPOWER facility separates metal products automatically.) Recyclable material, such as newspapers, glass and plastics, would be collected on the second day, alternating weekly with pick-ups of green wastes, such as grass and shrub cuttings. Bulky item collections would remain the same -- once a month or when residents request them.

If people want a second garbage pick-up a week, they will have to pay $8 a month for the service, which can be a concern for large families or those with multiple units on one lot. However, officials believe separating recyclables and green wastes will reduce garbage volume enough that they won't need a second garbage pick-up day. In addition, the city will still provide multiple trash cans if residents show a special need.

A number of questions remain, including concerns about how the city will enforce the mandates, short of peeking into garbage bins. If more city employees are necessary to carry out the program, taxpayers may balk. The city also will have to consider how to deal with trash from thousands of condominiums and apartments, typically collected by private companies, and from homes that don't have automated pick-up.

However, these obstacles are not insurmountable. The mayor's plan is a good one, and clear directives and a little education should assure a successful recycling program.

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Published by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press.

Don Kendall, Publisher

Frank Bridgewater, Editor 529-4791; fbridgewater@starbulletin.com
Michael Rovner, Assistant Editor 529-4768; mrovner@starbulletin.com
Lucy Young-Oda, Assistant Editor 529-4762; lyoungoda@starbulletin.com

Mary Poole, Editorial Page Editor, 529-4748; mpoole@starbulletin.com

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