Ask The Mayor: Do I Get a Refund for My Trash Not Being Picked Up?

File Image Courtesy County of Maui.

The mayor answers questions from the public in this series.

By Mayor Alan Arakawa

Q: My trash did not get picked up today, and I’m wondering if we are eligible for a reimbursement for these missed pickups? This is a service I paid for, like my cable and electric bills, so can’t I get a refund when they don’t pick up my rubbish?

A: In nearly every instance when a refuse route is missed, our staff make the missed pickups the next day. Regardless of the reason, mechanical problems or staff shortages, the ‘opala pickers do their best to make up the collection the very next day—even on Saturdays when needed; normally on overtime, which is actually at a higher cost to the county.

That being said, it’s important to note that our residential refuse service is heavily subsidized by county funds; the monthly cost of $18 is roughly 32 percent of the actual cost of our rubbish pickups and landfilling. Other utility-type bills you pay to private companies are not subsidized, and to my knowledge they do not issue refunds on a regular basis for cable or power outages- nor can these services be made up for.

Want to Ask the Mayor?

Submit your questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa via email to [email protected], by phone at 270-7855 or mail to 200 S. High St., 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793. Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the Ask the Mayor column.