Loss of subsidies claims more school recycling bins

Question: Why aren’t the multi­material recycling bins at various schools being maintained properly? Ever since the city’s service contract ended last summer, maintenance by Hono­lulu Disposal Service has gotten markedly worse. The bins have been overflowing almost every time I drop off my recycling materials at Stevenson Intermediate, Noelani Elementary and Punahou School. How often are these bins supposed to be emptied? My street still has manual garbage pickup, so I have no alternative to recycle materials except using those drop-off bins.

Question: I tried to drop off newspapers for recycling at Kahala Elementary School and discovered to my amazement that the bin had been removed. The next day, I drove to Kaiser High School in Hawaii Kai, where I live, and found the same thing: no bin. I live in a high-rise condo, where we don’t have access to the city’s recycling containers. Are we not supposed to recycle anymore?

Answer: Nearly six months after the city decided to stop subsidizing the community recycling bins, the result is either overflowing bins or no bins at all in neighborhoods across the island.

And the number of bin locations, which topped 100 early this year, has steadily decreased. They were at 26 at last count, with Punahou no longer listed (see opala.org/solid_waste/community_recycling_centers.html).

The city said residential curbside recycling was more effective, quantitatively, and economical in explaining why it chose to stop subsidizing the community bins and in its suggestion to residents in high-rises to consider setting up their own recycling programs. See the Oct. 8 “Kokua Line” — is.gd/4NqgF4.

Fewer schools are participating because they no longer are getting any money for hosting the bins, and Hono­lulu Disposal is making fewer pickups — also because it doesn’t make any money doing so.
Aggravating the situation is that “people are abusing the privilege of having a container available for recycling,” using them as “a dumping ground” for nonrecyclable items, said Greg Apa, senior vice president for Hono­lulu Disposal.

“Most of the schools are very understanding (and have) dedicated janitorial staff to police the area,” he said. But other schools, faced with the fact that they’re no longer benefiting from the recycling and “just can’t keep up with the mess they’re causing,” have asked that the bins be removed.

Still others have decided to make the bins available for campus use only — no public access, Apa said.

As for Honolulu Disposal, he acknowledged “we’re not picking up as often as we did, because it’s no longer subsidized.”

“So now we are trying to reduce the number of hauls to maximize the amount we’re getting,” he said.

“Yes, there is going to be overflow conditions. … We’re working with the individual schools to try to clean them up.”

Asked if he foresaw a time when the community bins all but disappear, “It’s possible,” Apa said, but noted that many still-participating schools either are committed to campus recycling or are in areas of multifamily high-rises, so they are continuing to support the bins as a community service.

“We are working with the (Department of Education) to keep them (available),” he said. “We’re trying to maintain as many as we can (as long as) it doesn’t become a nuisance to the schools to maintain.”

He said it also is a community service on Hono­lulu Disposal’s part because “it still is not a break-even proposition for us.”

MAHALO

To Billy and his security crew, who have always come to my aid whenever I go to the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall for an event. I am a handicapped exhibitor. They’ve opened the door and even helped with my exhibits. I am truly appreciative. I am sure there are others they’ve helped. Merry Christmas to you all, Billy. — F. Kato (Mary’s Things)