Ask the Mayor: Confusion Over Trash Schedule Clarified

The mayor answers questions from the public in this series.

By Mayor Alan Arakawa

Trash. Maui Now photo/graphic.

Q: There was a great deal of confusion when trash pickups were disrupted by both the storm and by the County holiday recently. How are we supposed to know when our trash will be picked up after a County holiday, and how are we supposed to know the days and dates of County holidays?

Also, because I live in Maui Meadows and participate in the County’s pilot “3-Can Plan” program, several neighbors and I are confused about our missed greenwaste pickup. As a result of the missed pickup, my can (and lots of others) are still next to the driveway. A lot of folks put out both blue and green cans yesterday.

Can you please help explain how the missed pickups will be handled, to help reduce the volumes of giant plastic containers along the roads and byways of Maui Meadows? Thanks!

Trash collection scheduled for Hāna, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi, 2014-15.

A: Certainly. For residential refuse accounts on Maui, the makeup collection following a County holiday will depend on the type of collection route you are on.

For your “3-Can Plan” route in Maui Meadows, any missed greenwaste and recyclable pickups due to a holiday will be made on the next regularly scheduled pickup day for that color cart. For routes that have only one trash pickup per week (manual routes and 3-Can Plan trash bins), the missed pickup will be made up on the next County workday. For automated accounts (brown trash cart) with two pickups per week, your trash will be picked up on the next regularly scheduled pickup day.

A flyer with details and a calendar of County holidays will be mailed soon to all residential refuse customers on Maui, Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i to help clear up any remaining confusion. The information will also be available on the County of Maui website in the Solid Waste Division tab under “New Refuse Collection and Landfill Schedule with Q&A.”

While most people don’t make the connection, the closure of landfills on County holidays means that we cannot collect trash or greenwaste on those days because the trucks need somewhere to empty the waste and drop off compostable materials. (The County’s greenwaste processing contractor, EKO Composting, is located at the Central Maui Landfill and is also closed on holidays).

It is unfortunate that the Solid Waste Division positions we requested were not funded during the recent Budget cycle for the coming year. However, we will continue to offer the best service we can with the staffing levels we were provided.

Since our Community Budget meetings will be starting up soon in all areas of Maui County, I would encourage you to voice your comments on holiday landfill closures and no holiday trash pickups. Input from the public will be instrumental in informing the Council on the importance of these and many other funding decisions that are made.

Additional Information relating to holiday refuse collection for 2014-15:

Maui (except Hāna):

• Refuse accounts with one pick-up per week (all manual routes) – your trash will be collected the next working day. (If the holiday falls on a Monday through Thursday, your pick-up will be the following day. For a Friday holiday, your pick-up will be Monday).
• For refuse accounts with 2 pick-ups per week (Automated truck pick-up in the County cart) – your trash will be picked up on the next regularly scheduled pick-up date.
• For all 3-Can Plan routes – your trash will be collected the next working day. (If the holiday falls on a Monday or Tuesday, your pick-up will be the following day).
• For all 3-Can Plan routes – your green waste or recyclable pick-ups will be collected on the next regularly scheduled date for that color cart.

New Landfill Hours Starting Aug. 1, 2014:

• Hāna, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi Landfill new hours: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and will remain closed on County holidays.
• Central Maui Landfill new hours: 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday and will be closed on County holidays.

Want to Ask the Mayor?

Submit your questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa via email: AskTheMayor@mauicounty.gov, phone: 270-7855 or mail: 200 S. High Street, 9th Floor, Wailuku, Hawaii 96793. Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the Ask the Mayor column.