The city’s bulky item pick-up system has had its share of criticism over the years. A lack of resources, limited truck space, tight schedules and illegal dumping often lead to back-logs and trash piling up on streets and sidewalks. Such is the case once again on University Avenue.
"It just keeps growing, growing, growing the pile," said resident Thea Palley.
The city calls this bulky item pick up site on University Avenue near Ala Wai Elementary School — a hot spot.
"I don’t know what’s going on everybody is talking about it in the building," said Palley.
Last Monday the hot spot literally ignited.
"Obviously you can see there was a fire right here and all these old Christmas trees went up in flames," said Palley.
Guy Wilding remembers waking up to the smell of smoke.
"It was really strong so I looked over the balcony and I can see flames shooting up this pole here," said Wilding.
Honolulu firefighters extinguished the small fire within minutes. The cause of the fire is unknown but area residents say the incident alone should have triggered action.
"They should have taken note of that and gotten the hint that something like that could happen again," said Palley.
Bulky items are scheduled to be picked up on the third Monday of every month here. But that date fell on a holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day — the same day as the fire.
"It smells, it breeds cockroaches and I feel like it’s a fire hazard," said Palley. "Flammable stuff too. I mean that’s I think the biggest concern."
"There’s a lot of kids in this area, there’s a park right there," said Wilding.
Wilding and his wife train Hawaii‘s young Olympic hopefuls in the nearby Ala Wai. They also welcome Olympians from across the world here.
"The Japanese Olympic team are coming to train with us here and it’s embarrassing enough having them to be part of those toilets and those showers, let alone to be coming past this everyday," said Shelley Oates-Wilding. "Public safety that’s more what it is."
But the problem is widespread. There are dozens of bulky items sites that are overflowing including this one that has eliminated an entire sidewalk.
"We need to as a society take control and really put it to our people in charge that this isn’t what we can, you know we can’t have this like this," said Oates-Wilding. "It’s not right."
The city says crews did a supplemental run three weeks ago but did not service this area during its normally scheduled pickup. Officials say the hot spot on University Avenue will be the first stop Wednesday.
"Really, a resident should be able to ring up and they should go bang oh my God we need to change that," said Oates-Wilding.
The city says residents should expect their normal service next month.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
