FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                     August 2, 2005

Release M-53

CITY EXTENDS ‘NO-CALL’ BULKY ITEM PICKUP 

          Mayor Mufi Hannemann announced today the City is expanding regularly scheduled bulky item refuse pickup to Koolauloa – Kahuku to Kahaluu -- this month, the North Shore next month and islandwide by next February.

For years, only the urban core of Honolulu between Foster Village and Hawaii Kai enjoyed regular bulky item curbside pickup. Residents of other areas had to call for pickup, then wait  for the actual removal.

“I have felt the frustration of calling  for an old water heater to be picked up, then having it sit on the curb in front of my house for many weeks before it was finally taken,” said the mayor, who lives in Aiea. “Town residents are able to place large items at curbside for monthly pickup. It was a  matter of equity.

“Regular pickup should help to discourage illegal dumping, especially in rural areas of Oahu,” the mayor said.

 In March, the City extended regularly scheduled pickup service to the Waianae Coast. As more equipment and staff has become available, the service is being extended to other areas.

Regular pickup up will be extended to include the area from Kahuku to Kahaluu, beginning Monday, August 8. Residents from Kahuku to Hauula should place their bulky discards on the curb from 6 a.m. the second Monday of the month. Residents from Waiahole to Heeia should place their bulky items on the curb the fourth Monday of the month. The items will be picked up within a few days by crews from the City Department of Environmental Services.

            The department has also set a new monthly schedule for bulky item service on the Waianae Coast:  Four districts have been designated along the Waianae Coast, and residents should place their items curbside for pickup as follows:

·                      Makaha and Waianae west of Waianae Valley Road, first Monday each month.

·                      Waianae, between Waianae Valley Road and Ma‘iliili Road, second Monday each month.

·                      Ma‘ili between west of Hakimo Road, third Monday each month.

·                      Nanakuli and Honokai Hale, fourth Monday.

In September, the Department of Environmental Services will begin regular bulky item service on the North Shore, from Waialua to Sunset Beach. Residents should place their discards on the curb from 6 a.m. September 14 and the second Wednesday of each month after that.

“No-call” bulky item pickup service is expected to begin in the remaining portions of Oahu – Wahiawa-Mililani; Kaneohe-Kailua and Pearl City-Ewa, by February 2006.

            For more information about trash and recycling on Oahu, see the City website, www.opala.org

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Contact:

Eric Takamura, Department of Environmental Services Director, 692-5159