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Law requires cleaning
up dog waste

Question: Can you please find me some ordinance or regulation that will help me prevent a neighbor's dog from pooping on the grassy sidewalk area every day?

There should be a fine for people who don't pick up their dog's poop. How often I see dog poop on an establishment's lawn or grass area. These irresponsible dog owners should be ashamed of themselves, but I doubt they feel any shame due to their lack of character. Perhaps some publicity into this problem will make these dog owners conscious of how they give other responsible dog owners a bad reputation. Is there a law for not picking up after your dogs?

Answer: You can find out about various animal-related laws by checking the Hawaiian Humane Society's Web site, www.hawaiianhumane. org.

The organization cites the city's ordinance on littering that includes a provision on animals. Basically, if your pet poops on private or public property, you are required to clean it up.

The humane society says the Honolulu Police Department enforces the litter law, so you are advised to call HPD at 911 to file a complaint.

Section 29-4.4 (a)(9) of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu says no person shall "permit an animal owned by such person or while in the person's custody to excrete any solid waste in any public place or on any private premises not the property of such owner." However, there is no violation "if the owner of the offending animal promptly and voluntarily removes the animal waste."

Q: I recently attempted to redeem my bottles and cans for the 5-cent deposit at the Reynolds recycling truck in Hawaii Kai. I counted my bottles and cans ahead of time, and my total was 57. At the truck, I was told there was "no way" they would do a hand count. "We do not do that here" was what I was told. Aren't we allowed a hand count if we have fewer than 100 cans and bottles?

A: Not necessarily.

Under the state Department of Health's administrative rules, redemption centers, upon request, must do a hand count for loads of 50 or fewer containers, said spokeswoman Janice Okubo.

For loads of more than 50, redemption centers have the option of weighing the material, she said.

If you believe any center is not following state rules, Okubo said to call the Health Department's Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch at 586-4226 to investigate.

Wind chimes

A suggestion for those with wind chimes ("Kokua Line," June 30): Try hanging them inside. In Hawaii there's nearly always enough air moving inside for the chimes to sound from time to time. The problem outside is that we have too much moving air, causing them to chime often. That's why they're a nuisance. In contrast, many areas on the mainland (especially inland) have no breezes and literally no wind most of the time. When a wind chime sounds, it's welcome as a sign of a slight breeze. -- Karen

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