. The Waimanalo Gulch Landfill is a 12-year-old landfill
on O‘ahu. Roland Batangan, a scale master for rubbish at the
landfill, said about 1,000 tons of waste are dumped there
every day. He said the landfill has already run out of room,
so it now requires a 30-foot upward expansion. With the expansion,
the landfill will only last until next spring.
“People complain,” Batangan said. “But Gary Gill at the
Deptartment of Health says we need landfills....There is no
space but to go up.”
What to recycle
The City and County of Honolulu’s Refuse Division estimates
that 15 percent of trash in the home is recyclable newspaper,
aluminum, glass, and plastic. Compostable yard trimmings make
up another 25-30 percent. But recycling is not limited to
household trash. At the office, as much as 85 percent of trash
is recyclable office paper, and many retail stores and restaurants
throw away recyclable cardboard and glass as well.
These are most of what Honolulu’s Refuse Division says can
be recycled rather than wasted:
• Aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles, and jars These
items should be loosely placed into the “mixed containers”
section. Do not place plastic bags holding these items into
the the containers.
• Newspaper Remove magazines and inserts and deposit the newspaper
loosely in the “paper” section.
• Corrugated cardboard Cardboard boxes must be flattened,
and cardboard should be placed in the “paper” section. Cereal
boxes, detergent boxes, tissue boxes, etc. cannot be placed
in this section.
• Telephone books Place loosely in the “paper” section only
during the Verizon Hawai‘i Telephone Book Campaign from July-August.
• White and colored office paper White and colored bond paper
should be seperately sealed in a bag or box and placed in
the “paper” section. White and colored paper must be in separate
bags or boxes; no envelopes, stick-on labels, magazines, newspapers,
staples, rubberbands, etc. should be included with the paper.
• Plastic grocery bags Bring to Safeway stores and place in
receptacles for these items usually found at the front of
the store.
Where to recycle
Many public schools all over the island provide recycling
bins for anyone willing to recycle. Visit opala.org for listings
of these schools.
For people unable to carry their recyclables to these schools,
O‘ahu Community Recycling provides the option of curbside
recycling. For $12 a month, OCR provides customers with two
18 gallon recycling bins and regular pickups at residential
homes. Condos and businesses can also arrange for pickup by
OCR.
