Hawaii News Now: City begins bulky trash collection through appointment-based pilot program

Under the pilot, residents from Foster Village to Hawaii Kai (and including Waikiki) will have to reserve a pick-up appointment and then put out their trash no earlier than the night before.

They’ll also be limited on how much trash they can throw away at once.

Single-family homes are limited to five items per pick-up. Multi-unit buildings are limited to 20.

Lori Kahikina, director of city Environmental Services, said the city has gotten “a lot of criticism” about the pilot. But she said business as usual is no longer an option.

“Our existing system is broken,” she said. “Give it a chance. Follow the rules and maybe it will work.”

One major concern: Will the switch mean more illegal dumping?

Kahikina acknowledged there’s a risk of that, and said inspectors will be out in force to “educate” residents about the new rules and determine if more dumping is happening.

She stressed that homeowners who place their items out on the curb early could be ticketed. As is the case now, they could also face a violation if someone else dumps something in front of their home.

Kahikina said she’s hopeful the switch to an appointment-based system will encourage people to reuse items or donate them rather than throwing them away.

“As a community, please stop,” she said. “Please stop creating so much waste.”

The city noted that from 2008 to 2018, it saw an 80 percent increase in bulky item trash picked up islandwide ― from 6,500 tons to nearly 12,000.