People will now be able to check how long the lines are at Oahu’s busiest refuse sites in Waipahu and Waianae by checking livestreams from newly installed cameras.

The Department of Environmental Services installed the cameras Thursday to allow the public to watch the sites in real time to avoid long lines and decide the best time to drop off items.

“We listened to the public and worked with the City Council to address concerns of long lines at a few of our refuse convenience centers,” ENV Director Roger Babcock said in a news release.

The City Council passed a resolution in December 2020 urging the city to consider efficiency improvements after receiving complaints from constituents about long wait times, unavailability of collection bins and traffic congestion at refuse sites.

One of the resolution’s recommendations was to provide real-time information regarding anticipated wait times and bin availability. Other recommendations included expanding the range of materials accepted at drop-off facilities, developing better procedures to swap out collection bins and alleviating traffic by creating turnarounds and bypass lanes.

Council member Brandon Elefante, who represents parts of Waipahu, introduced the resolution.

“This is such wonderful news for the community in response to community concerns about the hours-long waits at our convenience centers,” he said. “This live video-streaming is one of several efficiency recommendations we made to assist our residents who do the right thing by disposing of their waste at a city refuse facility.

“We look forward to islandwide implementation.”

Council member Andria Tupola, who represents Waianae, also praised the camera installation.

“We applaud ENV’s installation of a live-streaming video camera to help residents know refuse disposal wait times and if the convenience center has reached capacity and is closed,” she said. “We have put into the budget a request for more bins to help ENV cycle in containers and will continue to work alongside their efforts to serve the community and deter illegal dumping.”

The city operates six convenience centers in Ewa, Laie, Wahiawa, Waianae, Waimanalo and Waipahu which are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Households are allowed to drop off two loads of waste per day, including residential refuse, automotive batteries, tires and appliances, for no charge.

The city plans to install cameras at the Ewa location next.

To watch the livestreams at the Waipahu and Waianae locations, visit honolulu.gov/opala.