Bulky pickup plan is flawed

Many Oahu residents have stories of neighborhood sites where anonymous dumping or putting out bulky items way before the legal date chronically occurs.

It is bewildering that people bother to cart their trash into our valleys when our trash pick-up service is free.

Then you have unscrupulous contractors not wanting to pay the commercial dumping fees, exacerbating the problem.

Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi was recently quoted as saying a one-year bulky-pickup fee trial "can’t be any worse than the way it is now." Yes, it will. Out-of-pocket costs will only encourage more anonymous dumping.

A small property tax increase would spread the burden evenly and avoid the problem of nonpayment. Or contract out the services, which would reduce the county payroll. We simply can’t afford the increased blight and health risk of more rubbish piled up in our neighborhoods, which a pick-up fee would cause.

Kathee and Eric LeBuse Judy and Mark Pieklo
Kalihi Valley

Just augment current service

Replace current bulky item pickup with on-call service?

The costs for receiving calls, verifying the callers and then trying collect a modest fee will escalate.

Implemented as Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi envisions,the situation will become worse. More personnel andequipment will be needed.

Instead, modify the current program. McCully-Moiliili and Salt Lake are major problem areas. Costs to service those areas once a month are known. Add a second monthly pickup for those areasand prorate the additional cost to residents in those areas.

Ronald Wong
Salt Lake

Isles need more public restrooms

As visitors to Hawaii from Australia, we visited for more than two weeks, staying in a condo just outside Waikiki.

We really enjoyed the sights and activities on Oahu. TheBus got us to most parts of the island well. Generally all was fitting for such a tourist mecca.

However, we were dismayed with the lack of public restrooms in the out- door areas of Waikiki. With such a large visitor population, the only facility was at the Waikiki main beach area.

We live in a similar climate and beach tourism area of Noosa in Queensland, Australia. We have only a 50,000 population, but have public toilets everywhere, especially along the beaches and river.

We urge the Honolulu city management to seriously look at providing more public facilities, especially in the Waikiki and Honolulu public areas.

Thank you for a great and enjoyable visit.

Stephen and Wendy Wenke
Noosa, Queensland, Australia

Revive efforts against littering

I agree with the commentary, "Ban on food-grade foam containers would raise prices, hurt environment" (Star-Advertiser, Island Voices, June 8).

When I was a kid in elementary school, I remember the "Don’t Be A Litter Bug" campaign. As an adult, I taught my children to put their trash in the bins. We even pick up other people’s trash that’s left on the beach or parks.

It’s time to bring back this campaign that emphasized we are responsible for the environment and trash.

Imua H-Power.

Rose Pascual
Halawa Valley

Plan for marsh widely opposed

Much has been written and restated in objection to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ plan to develop Kawainui Marsh. Yet, DLNR has totally ignored the objections.

Most recently, DLNR didn’t show up at a Kailua neighborhood board meeting to hear testimony from an overwhelming number of people opposed to this ludicrous plan. The public frustration at being ignored needs to be dealt with.

These are unelected officials who are bent on destroying a beautiful, protected and pristine marsh and filling it with buildings, parking lots and campsites.

The state already has enough property that it doesn’t maintain, and now it wants to add another location to that list.

This plan need to be dumped — and not in the marsh.

Cheryl McIlroy
Kailua

Gather homeless on unused lands

Almost every day now, you see a letter to the editor about homelessness.

My suggestion is to build homeless camps on unused land, such as at Sand Island, complete with wire fences and military general-purpose tents known as GP Medium.

It is a very inexpensive solution to sheltering, and easy to adjust to varying weather conditions. Outhouses with plumbing are even possible.

Gathering the homeless in concentrated areas would allow social workers, doctors and job trainers to provide them with appropriate help. Provide shuttle service to bus lines for those with jobs, with bus passes several times a week for others. Give incentives to those who come first, such as bigger spaces or jobs.

Once there is adequate space for all the homeless, toughen enforcement of sidewalk and loitering laws.

Let’s take away all excuses of why it can’t be done, or why we are so inhumane.

Franklin Hu
Makiki

Attackers need to be arrested

When two well-known environmental activists are attacked in Hawaii with a clear attempt to kill them, many kamaaina are left asking, "Why?"

Carroll Cox of "The Carroll Cox Show" and Rene Umberger of "For the Fishes" were armed only with cameras when they were each brutally attacked in separate incidents several weeks ago.

The alleged attackers are well known. However, no arrests have been made yet. The story made international headlines, but the local news media have been rather silent.

When commercial ventures like aquarium fish collectors or illegal dumpers exploit our natural resourc-es for personal profit, who is tasked with protecting those resources?

More important, who is responsible for ensuring that environmentalists will not be murdered while taking a photograph?

Karyn Herrmann
Hawaii Kai