Question: Mahalo for emphasizing that old refrigerators must be secured properly so kids and animals can’t get in there and suffocate. Many appliances I see on the curb aren’t taped up.
Answer: Sure thing. That recent question about whether old refrigerators can be left out for bulky pickup (yes) also prompted a response from Marvin Buenconsejo, who works for the energy efficiency and conservation program Hawai‘i Energy (hawaiienergy.com). He highlighted rebate programs that keep certain refrigerators off the curb altogether.
“Hawai‘i Energy has two programs that incentivize the purchase of energy-efficient refrigerators along with the disposal of old units,” he reminded Kokua Line, encouraging readers to check out the Rid-a-Fridge and Refrigerator Trade-Up rebates.
>> The Rid-a-Fridge program pays residential electrical customers to recycle old, working refrigerators or freezers that are 14 cubic feet or larger. Oahu residents receive $50, and residents of Maui County and Hawaii Island receive $65, according to the Hawai‘i Energy website. On Oahu, call 537-5577 or toll-free 877-231-8222 to schedule a free pickup. You’ll need the contract ID number from your utility bill, and the make, model, serial number and approximate age and size of the refrigerator or freezer. At pickup the hauler will provide an application for you to fill out and mail in; the rebate comes by return mail within eight weeks.
>> The Refrigerator Trade-Up program offers a $150 rebate if you replace your old, working refrigerator (also 16 cubic feet or larger) with a new Energy Star-rated one purchased at a participating retailer. Online purchases do not qualify. The participating retailer can provide the rebate application at the point of purchase, to ensure proper recycling, according to Hawai‘i Energy’s website, which lists approved retailers by island:
>> Big Island: Sears (Hilo), Lowe’s (Kona), Home Depot, Hakoda’s Builders Appliance (Kona)
>> Lanai: Island Appliance
>> Maui: Hamai Appliance, Home Depot, Lowe’s and Sears
>> Oahu: Best Buy (all locations), Disco Mart, Discount Mutual, Home Depot (all locations), Lowe’s (all locations), Midtown Radio, Navy Exchange, Newtown Appliances, OK TV & Appliance (all locations), Pacific Appliance Group, Sears (all locations), Sears Outlet, Servco Home and Appliance Distribution, The Discount Store and Wada’s Appliance
Consumers will need information from their electrical bill, including the electric contract ID, which is usually in the top right corner.
The Rid-a-Fridge and Refrigerator Trade-Up offers cannot be combined. Read more about either rebate at 808ne.ws/fridgerebates.
Q: Do they still have security cameras at the Magic Island bathrooms?
A: Yes. Surveillance cameras outside the bathrooms at the Diamond Head end of Ala Moana Regional Park are back in action now that the restroom and shower facility has reopened following a renovation, according to a news release from the city. It had been closed to the public since renovations began late last year.
Mahalo
On May 16 I was in a manapua shop on Pauahi Street buying a few items for my lunch when the man behind me told the cashier he would pay for the items. Never in my entire life of 80-plus years has anything that surprising happened to me. I was in shock and lost my common sense. I forgot to say thank you and express my appreciation for his thoughtfulness. I hope he reads this and knows I appreciate his kind gesture to extend happiness to an old woman. God’s blessings to him for spreading Hawaii’s aloha. — The Octogenarian
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.
