Readers wonder what to do with unwanted sunscreen

Question: After reading the editorial in Tuesday’s Honolulu Star-Advertiser about sunscreen that is unsafe for reefs, I checked my own cabinets. I almost never sunbathe for more than five minutes, and rarely use sunscreen. However, I found two old half-used tubes of over-the-counter sunscreen, both of which contain oxybenzone and/or octinoxate. How can I safely dispose of them?

Q: I recently had some visitors who left some sunscreen products, and sure enough, when I read the labels, they contain those that are damaging to coral reefs. How do I safely dispose of these products to ensure they don’t end up in the ocean to harm the coral?

Answer: The “contents should be squeezed into old newspapers or other absorbent material and placed in the regular household trash,” said Markus Owens, spokesman for the city’s Department of Environmental Services.

Most of Oahu’s residential rubbish is incinerated at the HPOWER plant in Campbell Industrial Park, which converts waste into electricity.

As the editorial (808ne.ws/313edit) explained, oxybenzone and octinoxate are common sunscreen ingredients found to harm Hawaii’s marine environment, particularly its coral reefs, which become more susceptible to bleaching and less able to withstand other environmental threats, such as wastewater discharge, overfishing, invasive species and climate change.

In highlighting the problem last year, the leader of the state Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources said researchers have found oxybenzone concentrations in some Hawaii waters at more than 30 times the level considered safe for corals.

Contamination occurs continuously, as people wearing the sunscreen enter the ocean or rinse off in beach showers that wash into the ocean. The solution is not to give up sunscreen — that’s especially unwise in tropical Hawaii, with its heightened risk of deadly skin cancer — but to switch to “reef-friendly” sunblocks (such as zinc oxide or titanium oxide ointments), as well as to wear rash guards or wet suits that reduce skin exposure, according to DAR.

Q: Do both husband and wife have to be 65 years old in order to qualify for the $120,000 residential property tax exemption on Oahu?

A: No. If you both own the property, make sure the older of you claims the exemption, which is reserved for an owner-occupant. The exemption would reduce the assessed value of your home by $120,000, and you would pay property taxes on the balance. To be clear, the total exemption would be $120,000, even if both of you were over 65 and owned the home jointly.

Auwe

Auwe to the two moms who jaywalk with their kids across Makakilo Drive every morning. Really, you’re willing to risk both your lives and your children’s lives to jaywalk across four lanes just to get your child to school, on a very busy road every morning. My granddaughter always says, “Look out for the ladies who are trying to jaywalk with their kids, Grandma.” — A concerned mom and grandmother

Mahalo

I’m writing to express gratitude to the local men and women, police, firefighters and other volunteers who stood along Kamehameha Highway opposite Hauula Beach Park on Monday, smiling and waving, and holding signs that read, “Slow Down,” “Speed Kills,” “We Care,” etc. This expression of love and concern for the safety of people in our community touched my heart in a surprising way. With all the bad news we read each day, it was a welcome and loving reminder that we can make a difference in our corner of the world, a reminder that most people have kind hearts.

I drove with more care that day as I made my way to town, and I’m sure others did, too. Mahalo! — Emily P.

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.