Christmas wrapping paper goes in the gray trash cart

Question: I have curbside recycling. Where do I put Christmas wrapping paper?

Answer: Discard Christmas wrapping paper and ribbons in the gray cart, said Markus Owens, a spokesman for the city’s Department of Environmental Services. That’s the receptacle for general rubbish in the three-cart sorting system and is the proper place to dispose of a few specific types of paper, including gift wrap, magazines, junk mail, telephone books and cereal boxes, according to the updated “Recycling and Disposal Guide for Oahu” that Owens provided.

Many other types of paper should be placed in the blue cart — the bin for “mixed recyclables” — including newspaper (minus magazines and other glossy inserts), corrugated cardboard, paper bags and white and hued office-copier paper, according to the guide. Recycled newspaper and cardboard become fresh newsprint, boxes and tissue paper.

Speaking of holiday recycling: Christmas trees themselves go into the green cart after the holidays are over, stripped first of all ornaments, tinsel and flocking. Cut the tree into 3-foot lengths to ensure that it fits entirely into the green cart, with the lid safely closed.

Remember, there’s no refuse or recycling collected on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

If you are in the curbside recycling system and your rubbish pickup (gray cart) falls on those holidays, your trash will be picked up a day or two later. Leave the gray cart at the curb until it is emptied. Recycling days that are missed — blue and green carts — won’t be made up. Hold your mixed recyclables and green waste for the next scheduled pickup.

Oahu residents on twice-a-week manual collection routes should hold their garbage for the next scheduled collection day. They, too, can recycle their Christmas trees, by cutting them into 3-foot lengths and placing at the curb on collection day.

If cutting up the tree in either case is too much humbug, drop if off whole at the nearest city convenience center.

Q: Where is the dengue fever outbreak worst on the Big Island?

A: In and around Captain Cook on Hawaii island’s west coast was the only region classified as posing a “high risk” of potential dengue infection as of Wednesday, according to the state Department of Health’s map of the outbreak. Kailua-Kona (immediately northwest of Captain Cook), Pahoa on the east coast and Naalehu on the southern tip all were classified as “moderate” risk. Eleven other areas, mainly along coastal regions, were counted as “some risk.” The risk levels are determined by the number of confirmed cases and observed mosquito activity in the specific area.

As of Friday there had been 146 cases confirmed on the entire island of Hawaii, according to the Health Department. The total included 129 residents and 17 visitors.

Q: Why isn’t there a dengue quarantine?

A: People who have dengue fever don’t need to be quarantined because the virus is not spread from person to person, according to the Health Department. “The dengue virus is spread through the bite of an infected mosquito, so the most effective way to prevent future cases is to eliminate mosquitoes that might bite infected persons and then spread the virus to uninfected persons. Quarantines are extreme measures that are effective primarily for serious diseases spread by human-to-human contact,” the department explains on a website that provides frequent updates about the outbreak. You can access information at the site at health.hawaii.gov/docd/dengue- outbreak-2015.

The type of mosquito spreading dengue fever on the Big Island is usually most active in the morning after daybreak, in the late afternoon before dark, and any time during the day when indoors or in shady areas. People are advised to lower their risk in affected areas by using mosquito netting over beds, and screens on windows and doorways; using mosquito repellents with 20 to 30 percent DEET, and wearing appropriate clothing, such as long-sleeved shirts and long pants. “Mosquitoes are drawn to dark colors; if possible, wear white or light-colored clothing when you are likely to be exposed to biting mosquitoes,” advises the Health Department.

Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.