Question: I live in the Salt Lake area, and many homes are leaving Christmas trees for bulky pickup. I cut my tree up and put it in the green recycling container. I guess people don’t know that sending it to the landfill is wrong. Since we live on an island, why send it there when we can recycle it?

 

Answer: The city’s bulky-item collection crews will not pick up Christmas trees just left curbside, said Markus Owens, spokes­man for the Department of Environmental Services.

 

Residents of single-family homes with the automated three-cart collection service will need to take the trees back onto their property, chop them up and place them in the green bin, with the lid closed, he said.

 

Residents on manual collection will have to chop the trees and bundle them into 3-foot sections, while condominium residents are required to manage Christmas trees similarly to their normal ref­use collection, Owens said.

 

There is no charge for Christmas trees delivered by condo properties to Oahu’s composting facility, Hawaiian Earth Products, he said.

 

Alternatively, residents can take a whole tree to one of the city’s six convenience centers, putting it into the large open-top green waste bins. The trees must be stripped of ornaments and tinsel. For locations, go to www.opala.org/solid_waste/Drop_off_Centers_for_Ref­use.html.

 

Flocked trees cannot be recycled and must go into the gray trash carts.

 

Question: The units in our condominium building have a rear door of metal within a metal frame with a self-closing device attached to the door. Although this leads to the fire stairs, there is some difference of opinion as to whether the door is a “fire door” and as such must be kept closed at all times (not propped open). Is there a city or state official who could determine in writing the definitive status of these doors? This is a safety issue of great concern to me.

 

Answer: The door you describe “is almost certainly a fire door,” being metal within metal, leading to an exit and having a “closer,” said Capt. Terry Seelig, spokes­man for the Hono­lulu Fire Department.

But whether it should be closed at all times is a question that HFD’s Fire Prevention Bureau can help answer, he said. Call 723-7161 and ask to speak to a fire inspector.

 

HFD “will gladly help you clear up the confusion” about whether the doors should remain shut, Seelig said.

 

He said the public should contact the Fire Prevention Bureau “for quick replies to fire safety concerns or questions or to report violations.”

 

Meanwhile, Seelig explained that the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) 1 Uniform Fire Code Handbook describes a fire door as a door with a fire-resistance rating. 

 

“The purpose of a fire door is to reduce the spread of fire or smoke and to enable safe egress from a building,” he said. “Most fire doors are designed to be kept closed at all times. Some doors are designed to stay open under normal circumstances, and close automatically in the event of a fire.”

 

 

To UPS for going above and beyond during the heaviest delivery week of the holidays. My 88-year-old dad was notified Dec. 19 of an attempted delivery. Since his building is secured, the driver was unable to gain entry, so a notice was mailed. Two days later, on a Saturday, I received a phone call inquiring whether I was the addressee, having the same name as my father. I confirmed that my dad lives in a secured building and needed to be reached by his cellular phone. They offered to deliver it as addressed, but I asked whether it was possible to redirect the package to my address. They were very accommodating, indicating they thought it was meant as a gift and assured me that they would deliver it on Dec. 23. 

 

I am impressed that they took the effort to locate us and deliver it on time. My gratitude and congratulations to UPS for such customer service. — Charles “Bo” Aki, Mili­lani Mauka