BUREAUCRACY BUSTER
Recycling trees keeps Yule going
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer
Q. Now that the Christmas holiday has passed, what can I do with my tree? I know that some years I had to drive it to a school to get it recycled and I'm wondering about what I have to do this year.
A. Honolulu recycling coordinator Suzanne Jones has numerous tips for "treecycling" this year, some of which were printed in a full-page ad in yesterday's newspaper and will run again Sunday. None of them involve schools, so please don't take them there.
The city offers several options for turning yesterday's yule tree into tomorrow's mulch or compost, Jones said. Just remember to remove the tinsel and other decorations. Jones also reminds residents that the city offers the mulch for free pick-up in locations across O'ahu including the composting sites listed below and Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden, Makiki Community Garden, Ala Wai Community Garden, Waimea Valley Audubon Center and Wahiawa Community Garden.
Jones said about 50 percent of Honolulu residents recycle their trees. She encourages residents to think about using some of the same resources to recycle other hedge trimmings and plant scraps year-round.
"Tree trimmings and grass clippings from your yard deserve a second life as well," she said.
Here are the tree tips:
HONOLULU, 832-7840
KAILUA/KANE'OHE, 262-7298
KO'OLAULOA (LA'IE), 293-5657
PEARL CITY, 455-9644
WAHIAWA, 621-5241
WAIALUA, 637-4795
WAI'ANAE, 697-1178
The city estimates that Christmas trees account for about 600 tons of the 200,000 tons of green waste generated by O'ahu residents each year.
For more information, go to www.opala.org or call the city's environmental concern line at 692-5656.
If you have a question or a problem and need help getting to the right person, you can reach The Bureaucracy Buster one of three ways:
Write to:
The Bureaucracy Buster
The Honolulu Advertiser
605 Kapi'olani Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96813
E-mail: buster@honolulu advertiser.com
Phone: 535-2454 and leave a message. Be sure to give us your name and daytime telephone number in case we need more information.
Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com.