Bulky-item
pickup expands

Starting Monday, the area
from Kahuku to Kahaluu
will have regular collections

CORRECTION Sunday, August 7, 2005 » Patty Teruya is secretary/treasurer of the Waianae Neighborhood Board. A Page A3 article Wednesday incorrectly identified her as board chairwoman. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at corrections@starbulletin.com.

The scenic route from Kahuku to Kahaluu has been marred with refrigerators and other big items discarded by people, but George Okuda hopes that will all change soon.

The area will be included in the city's regular bulky-item pickup schedule.

"I'm glad it's here," said Okuda, chairman of the Kahaluu Neighborhood Board.

The city is expanding its regularly scheduled bulky-item pickup from Kahuku to Kahaluu starting Monday. It will move on to the North Shore from Waialua to Sunset Beach starting next month.

Items left on the curb will be picked up in a few days by crew members of the Department of Environmental Services.

By February, the bulky-item pickup will cover the remaining areas on Oahu, Wahiawa-Mililani, Kaneohe-Kailua and Pearl City-Ewa. There is already pickup from Aliamanu to Hawaii kai.

"We are doing this as quickly as we can because we want to discourage illegal dumping," Mayor Mufi Hannemann said.

"We really feel this is a major step that I think will go a long way to ensure people are educated on what they can do to dispose their bulky items. And the city is prepared to make it very easy and accessible for you to dispose of bulky-item pickup," he added.

Items such as sofas, coffee tables, refrigerators and water heaters will be picked up by the city. Officials remind residents that they will not accept tires, batteries and hazardous waste.

Residents can drop off tires and batteries at refuse convenience centers in Laie or Waialua, said Ken Shimizu, deputy director of the Department of Environmental Services.

For years, only those who reside between Aliamanu and Hawaii Kai benefited from the city's regular monthly bulky-item pickup.

Residents who lived in other parts of Oahu would have to call the city to find out when the next available pickup would be in their neighborhood.

Hannemann had made it a priority to ensure that every part of Oahu will have regularly scheduled bulky-item pickup.

"It shouldn't matter where you reside. You should be entitled to the same kind of services," Hannemann said.

"You pay property taxes, you pay fees, you pay taxes and the like. You should be entitled to the same services," he said.

The city is bringing in four bulky-item pickup trucks, each costing $185,000, for the expansion. There will be no increase in labor, city officials said.

Both Hannemann and Shimizu praised the United Public Workers union for their part in the expansion.

Patty Teruya, chairwoman of the Waianae Neighborhood Board, said the pickup that started in March has dramatically improved the Waianae Coast along Farrington Highway.

"This truly helped us because we don't have washing machines, the tires, the large bulky items that we had so much problems along the coast," Teruya said.