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City and County of Honolulu - Department of Environmental Services
December 2009
In This Issue
The Green Channel Goes Live!
Holiday Trash Tips
City Steps Up Bulky Item Set-Out Enforcement
Tour de Trash 2010 Schedule Announced
Recycling at Moana Pacific Condo
Mataio's Garbage Truck Halloween Costume
Discover Recycling 2010 -- Last Call to Educators
WasteLine Contributors
Managing Editor
Suzanne Jones
Editor
Adam Bien
Assistant Editor
Tamara Farnsworth
Contributing Writers
Chris Hirota
Eileen Helmstetter
Amy Long
Michael O'Keefe
Kevin Nesnow
Irobela Wreagh
Staff Photographer
Irobela Wreagh
Aloha,

Welcome to WasteLine, a bimonthly e-newsletter which profiles successful community and business recycling programs, innovations and technology, and opens discussions on new directions in the City's waste management and recycling programs. You can stay in the loop, talkin' trash, connected to the resources with a click of your mouse.
The Green Channel
Goes Live!
opalavision
Hawaii's The Green Channel has launched!  Focusing on recycling and intelligent waste management, Opalavison has already introduced several entertaining and educational episodes including:
  • Mayor Mufi Hannemann talks to our hosts about why Opalavision is so important to the City and County of Honolulu.
  • There's No Power Like H-POWER - We take a behind-the-scenes look at how the H-POWER plant on Oahu takes waste and converts it to energy to power Oahu's homes.
  • Pimp My Ride, City and County Edition - Think that recycling truck is just a giant tub with a driver up front? Our Trash Investigative Reporter, Tamara, hops in for a ride in the big truck.
  • Henry Kapono's commitment to recycling - Our own Opala expert, Jonah, interviews Henry Kapono about his decades-long commitment to preserving our island paradise through his support of the City and County of Honolulu's recycling efforts.
  • Food For Worms - The Opalavision team shows how some elementary school students get their hands dirty in the name of recycling - elbow deep in an 18-foot worm composting bin!
  • It's Cool for Condos - Opalavision's Cody Cool takes a look at Chateau Waikiki and points out just how easy it is for a condo building to get a recycling program started with the City's help.
  • Did you know? - A regular segment in which our own Opala expert, Jonah, gives us some facts about recycling that can keep us all motivated to help sustain a greener Hawaii.
Come and watch new episodes of Opalavision monthly at www.opala.org and on The Green Channel, Oceanic Time Warner Cable's interactive, digital Channel 332.
Holiday Trash Tips
opalavision
'Tis the season for merrymaking and gift giving... and for some households, a greater (or at least more colorful) volume of rubbish and recyclables.  For tips on recycling your tree, reducing waste and holiday collection schedules, please view our Holiday Trash Tips. This year, Christmas and New Year's fall on Friday, affecting those with Tuesday/Friday routes.
City Steps Up Bulky Item
Set-Out Enforcement
bulky
Worn-out furniture, mattresses, carpet, appliances... when these items are improperly disposed of (usually that means illegally dumped on the curb), they become a major eyesore and, sometimes, a safety hazard. Improper placement of bulky items and illegal dumping are problems with a long history in both urban Honolulu and Oahu's rural areas. But lately, blatant disregard for bulky item collection schedules (and the list of "acceptable" bulky items) seems to be growing.

In an effort to combat these problems, the mayor has proposed measures to increase enforcement authority to hold Oahu property owners responsible for improper bulky item set-out on the easement fronting their property. Bulky items are collected from residential properties on a regular monthly schedule, and it is imperative that everyone adhere to their schedule to help keep our streets clean.

Efforts to educate and inform have already begun. Letters have been sent to AOAO presidents and property management companies to educate both owners and tenants about bulky item collection and the proposed new measures to decrease illegal dumping with increased enforcement. Inspectors are canvassing problem areas and sending warning notices.

More information on bulky item collection and scheduling.
Tour de Trash 2010
Schedule Announced
tour_truck
In January, we'll kick off the first tour of our  2010 Tour de Trash series and wish to extend an early invitation for you to join us. Tour de Trash is the City's award-winning annual tour series that showcases how recyclable materials and solid waste are managed on our island. Tour de Trash is in its twelfth year and those interested know they better reserve their seats early. Buses are fully booked within a couple weeks and subsequent callers are put on a waitlist for each tour. It's surprising how many people are interested in getting up-close and personal with trash. Click for detailed tour itineraries, then call our office at 768-3200 to sign up.
 
Workplace Recycling - Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wastewater Treatment - Thursday, March 25, 2010
Recycling & Waste Processors - Saturday, May 22, 2010
Construction & Demolition - Thursday, July 15, 2010
Recycled Products - Thursday, September 16, 2010
Recycling & Waste Processors - Thursday, November 18, 2010
Recycling at Moana Pacific Condo
blue cart moana pacific
Recycling, recycling everywhere. At the Moana Pacific condominium, you can find a blue recycling cart on every parking floor, at the entrance to the parking garage, on the recreation deck by the BBQs, and by the theater/workout room. General Manager, Robert Allman, says, "You really can not come and go in either of the towers without passing by a recycling container where you can drop off your plastic or aluminum HI-5 containers."

Moana Pacific uses City-provided wheeled carts for central collection of their recyclable materials in the loading dock area. In addition, they received reimbursement from the City for the cost of the smaller recycling carts purchased for drop-off areas around the building.

To learn more about how the City can assist you with implementing a recycling program in your building, click here.
Mataio's Garbage Truck Halloween Costume
halloween opala truck
Like many local kids his age, Mataio of Aliamanu is fascinated with the Refuse Division's bright yellow opala trucks. Maybe it's their bold color, their authoritative rumble, or their daily display of sheer garbage-crushing power. Whatever the attraction, few take it to the level of creativity that Mataio and his mom, Genny, display in the design and construction of the three year-old's awesome Halloween (or dare we say it, "Opala-ween") costume.

According to Genny, the costume was a big hit: "Everyone thought it was very cool... and recognized right away it was our local City and County of Honolulu garbage truck. He wore his costume to school and trick-or-treated at a nearby office building. Every time he back up into the elevator, people around him would go, 'Beep!...Beep!...Beep!' My husband and I really enjoyed making this costume and especially trying to make it look just like the truck he watches every chance he gets."

For parents interested in making a similar costume, Genny shares the link for the online instructions.
Discover Recycling 2010 --
Last Call to Educators
halloween opala truck
Deadline to register is December 15.
Call 768-3200. Event is FREE.
 
Discover Recycling now includes a bus tour of Oahu's trashier side, followed by a delicious zero waste lunch and recycling education workshops.

Discover Recycling 2010 is a one-day showcase event of recycling resources for schools and educators, presented by
                                 the City & County of Honolulu.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
8:00 am - 3:00 pm
Kapolei Hale
Seating is limited and available for educators and by invitation only.
(Teachers may invite 1-3 student leaders, but seating preference will be given to educators.)
More event and program detail is available online at opala.org.