Question: I am cleaning my yard and have dirt and rocks I want to get rid of. Can I go to the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill in a pickup truck to dispose of them?
Answer: Yes.
In fact, the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill, at 92-460 Farrington Highway, just past the Ko Olina offramp, is the only place that residents — not businesses — may dispose of dirt, rock, sand, concrete, asphalt, animal carcasses and waste products on Oahu.
The limit is two truckloads per day of residential debris.
The city’s refuse drop-off convenience centers will not accept these items, said Markus Owens, spokesman for the city Department of Environmental Services.
The city has six convenience centers, three transfer stations and one landfill for free disposal of household rubbish.
The items must be delivered only by pickup trucks, minivans or automobiles. Business-owned vehicles may be used, but only if they are an allowable vehicle delivering only residential waste.
Most items from home will be accepted at the 10 disposal sites. However, certain items are restricted or prohibited.
Prohibited items include business/commercial and farm/agricultural refuse; liquids, oils and grease; wet kitchen garbage; large auto parts; explosives and weapons; hazardous or toxic waste; wet paints and solvents; poisons, pesticides and herbicides; medical waste; and compressed gas cylinders.
Restricted Items include large appliances — two per month; tires — four per month; auto batteries — two per month; drywall — five sheets per day; and plywood — five sheets per day.
For more information, go to opala.org.
ERNEST STREET LOT UPDATE
The city Department of Planning and Permitting says the owner of the overgrown lot at 1427 Ernest St. in Makiki has been fined at least another $5,000 for recurring violations.
In our Sept. 24 column — is.gd/OBirED — the department said it had issued 10 Notices of Violation for the overgrown conditions. Up to that point, the owner, listed as 1427 Ernest Street LLC, had paid only a $250 fine.
However, because the overgrowth had spilled onto the public sidewalk, a work order was sent to the city Department of Facility Maintenance to clear the debris and bill the owner.
On Oct. 1 the department issued another Notice of Order for overgrowth on the vacant lot. Because this was a second recurring violation, the matter was referred to the Code Compliance Branch, and a civil fine of $5,000 was issued, a spokesman said.
If the violation hadn’t been corrected by Tuesday, a daily fine of $5,000 was to begin being assessed. However, the overgrowth on the lot was corrected Friday, the spokesman said.
In this case the property owner is still required to pay the initial $5,000 fine and has 30 days from Oct. 7 to do so. If the fine isn’t paid, the city will begin legal proceedings to collect it.
The spokesman explained that the higher fine is the result of the so-called “Kawamoto Bill,” named for Japanese billionaire Genshiro Kawamoto, passed by the City Council and signed by the mayor earlier this year. Ordinance 13-9 allows the city to assess a maximum $5,000 fine for recurring violations on vacant residential lots.
To date, the department has issued four $5,000 fines under this ordinance: three to Kawamoto (for two Kahala properties and one in Kahaluu) and the latest one to 1427 Ernest Street LLC.
MAHALO
To the many people who stopped to help when I fell during my morning exercise at the corner of Woodlawn and Lowrey avenues in Manoa in July. I didn’t get any names, but am deeply indebted to the gentleman who drove up and down the streets to find my wife, who was walking on another street; the lady who brought me an umbrella; the doctor who provided great moral support; the man who called 911; and the lady who drove my wife to her car so that she could meet me at the hospital. I have nearly recovered and am most grateful for all the kokua. — Jim E.
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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.
