Honolulu property owners will face hefty fines starting May 1 for putting items out more than a night before scheduled bulky trash pickup.
A new law establishes a $250 fine for leaving items such as furniture, mattresses, bed frames, box springs and appliances curbside for more than a night before the beginning of a scheduled pickup period by city refuse workers.
Those who don’t follow the law could be issued a notice of violation, giving them seven days to remove the item. On the eighth day, if the situation remains uncorrected, a city Department of Environmental Services inspector will impose a $250 fine.
Oahu has had once-a-month residential bulky-item curbside pickup since 2006. The new law is meant to address the eyesore created when bulky refuse is left on sidewalks and city streets ahead of scheduled pickup, often for days or even weeks.
Considered illegal dumping, bulky items left for extended periods account for the highest number of complaints the city receives, according to Markus Owens, environmental services spokesman. There are 75 areas on Oahu that the city has classified as "hot spots" for illegal dumping, primarily in high-density areas with a lot of residential high-rises.
Owens recommended homeowners call police or the department’s illegal-dumping hotline about bulky items left in front of their property at inappropriate times.
The city passed the law imposing the new fines in 2010. Property owners can appeal the fine. Administrative rules, policies and procedures involving fines and the appeal process were finalized by the department and adopted in December.
Owens said inspectors are aware that curbside bulky items may not always come from the home near where they are illegally dumped, and will take that into consideration.
Environmental services will have four inspectors monitoring routes around the island. City truck drivers also will assist inspectors to keep an eye out for illegal dumpings, Owens said.
Maureen Andrade, president of the Village Park Community Association, questioned how effective the new fine will be because of the limited number of inspectors.
"Four inspectors, it’s not enough for the whole island," she said.
Andrade said she believes the new fine will lead to new hot spots.
"This is what’s going to happen: Once you put out this fine, they’re going to dump it someplace else so they’re not going to get the fine," she said.
Ronald Lockwood, president of the McCully/Moiliili Neighborhood Board, said residents there have aggressively tackled illegal dumping in the last several years and observed a drop in violations to less than 50 from more than 200 within the past 18 months.
Lockwood said posters with the bulky-item pickup schedule were put up in apartment buildings, and the community worked directly with the city to address the problem. It helped improve the neighborhood’s appearance, he said.
"Our figures have gone down because we have been proactive about it. Now the city is going to be proactive about it."
To make residents aware of the new law and accompanying fine, the city this week ran advertisements in the Star-Advertiser and MidWeek. Letters were also sent to all associations of apartment owners.
To report an illegal dumping of bulky items, call the city’s illegal-dumping hotline at 768-3203. For more information on the administrative rules and fines, go to the Department of Environmental Services’ website at www1.honolulu.gov/env.
