City to fine property owners for bulky trash abuses in 2011

HONOLULU—The City and County of Honolulu passed Bill 78, which allows the City to fine property owners who prematurely place bulky refuse items along curbsides prior to scheduled pickup dates. The bill was introduced by Councilmember Todd Apo.

“Unfortunately, a few property owners and tenants abuse this public service by setting out piles of broken furniture and other junk long before regularly scheduled pickup dates, which encourages others to dump even more material there,” said acting Mayor Kirk Caldwell, who signed the bill into law yesterday. “Our goal is to discourage this practice and the unsightly and dangerous problems it creates, by going after those habitual abusers and not innocent property owners.”

Bill 78 allows the City to assess fines of $250 per day for each violation. Caldwell said that City inspectors will “use appropriate discretion to avoid citing innocent owners of property where others have dumped bulky items without the property owner’s knowledge or permission.”

In addition to the fines, the property owners, including apartment owners and associations, are responsible for the removal and storage of the bulky waste within seven days of written notice. If the bulky waste is not removed, the City will hire a contractor to do it and foot the bill.

The City has a regular monthly schedule to collect bulky items such as furniture, mattresses, bed frames, and appliances. Such items may be placed at the curb no earlier than the evening before the first scheduled pickup date for a particular area, and no later than 6:00 a.m. of the first scheduled pickup date. The items are collected from each area during a three- to four-day pickup period. Bulky items left for pickup must not block sidewalks, driveways or roads. For a detailed schedule of areas and pickup periods, go to www.opala.org or call (808) 768-3202.

The City sent public education letters in October 2009 to all Association of Apartment Owners members to remind them that rental properties are required to have a storage area for refuse and bulky items, and to encourage property owners to educate their tenants about rules and schedules for bulky waste collection.

Bill 78 will take effect in January 2011, and the City will begin assessing fines after rule-making procedures are completed.