City unveils new opala truck for West Oahu parks

The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation on Tuesday morning unveiled a new opala truck that will be used to help pick up trash at leeward Oahu parks.

The truck, which cost $185,570, can transport six cubic yards of rubbish, according to officials, and is equipped with a rear-end loader and rear-view camera. It will primarily serve the 49 city parks in District 3, which stretches from Ewa to Keeau.

”More importantly, it will allow park staff to keep these parks clean on a quicker basis so our diverse community of park users can enjoy these Leeward wahi (places),” said DPR in a news release.

Last summer, several DPR trash vehicles were out of service for maintenance and extensive repairs, leading to delays in trash pickups.

To adjust, DPR deployed garbage vehicles from around the island, used smaller vehicles and recruited additional staff from other districts to help with trash pickup.

The new truck is expected to help parks staff remove opala from leeward parks more efficiently.