Anyone who leaves bulky items at the curb earlier than the evening before the scheduled collection date would face a considerable fine under strict new guidelines proposed by the city.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann announced yesterday the city's plans to impose a $500 fine per day for bulky items placed curbside earlier than the evening before the scheduled collection date.

Homeowners and condo associations would be responsible for items on their property even if the residents did not place them there.

Tim Steinberger, director of the Department of Environmental Services, said the city normally picks up the items within two or three days of the scheduled pickup date.

Violators will receive a notice from the city and have seven days to remove the items at their own expense. If the items remain, a $500-per-day fine will be issued by the Department of Environmental Services.

The city will also will bill the violator if the city has to remove the items.

“;We think this will give us some teeth in the enforcement aspect,”; said Hannemann during a news briefing in Salt Lake. City officials called for the community to help them enforce the guidelines and identify violators if they witness any illegal dumping.

The administration submitted its proposed amendments to the City Council last week.

The city has received numerous complaints from callers of unwanted items left sitting on the curbside for days or weeks. The Department of Environmental Services received 650 complaints last year. A lot of calls come from McCully, Moiliili, Makiki, Salt Lake and other areas where there is a concentration of residential apartment buildings.

City officials are asking apartment owners to set up a storage site on their property to keep unwanted items before taking it to the bulky-item site. Letters were mailed to associations to educate their tenants about the schedule.

Maurice Morita, chairman of the Aliamanu-Salt Lake-Foster Village Neighborhood Board, said bulky waste is an ongoing problem and that a lot of people are not familiar with the guidelines.

Setting up a storage area at apartment complexes is a good idea, but Morita said he does not believe buildings have space on their property for it, especially when residents are moving out. “;When people move, people dump it out. We have a lot,”; Morita said.

A 2009-2010 bulky item collection schedule is available online at www.opala. org.