KALIHI — Residents of about a dozen small lanes in Kalihi-Palama are raising a stink about illegal dumping in their neighborhood, complaining that it is getting worse and poses a potential health risk.

"I give up," said Roy Piiohia, as he pointed to a wall of trash positioned squarely under a "No Dumping" sign at the end of his driveway on Lopez Lane. Last week, appliances, a rocking chair, a table and other castaway household items, along with wet and industrial trash, were piled nearly 5 feet high along a 12-foot curbside strip, threatening to collapse on a minivan parked on the lane.

"Sometimes, they (the dumpers) come late at night. I've called the city, but no one listens," Piiohia said.

City officials know about the problem but contend there's little they can do to stop the dumping.

The city says that because the lanes, each of which has six or more homes, are privately owned, it does not include them on bulk trash pickup routes. The residents are permitted to take their household trash to public curbsides for weekly pickups.

Under city rules, the owners of private lanes are responsible for their upkeep.

Karl Rhoads, a Downtown Neighborhood Board member, said public records yield inconclusive information about lane ownership because several were built by now-defunct development companies or landowners who have died.

'KEEPS ON BUILDING UP'

But even if ownership is pinpointed, residents aren't sure who is dumping the trash.

Some suspect much of it is hauled in from neighboring communities by people too lazy to make the trip to a landfill or trash drop-off site. Residents are also wondering whether their own neighbors are to blame for at least some of the heaps.

Steven Chang, the state Health Department's environmental program manager, said the dumping raises serious health issues, especially since many children call the neighborhood home.

On Friday, Rawlins Lane was lined with trash, including a few large cans of tar.

Children rode their bikes up and down the narrow road.

Melanie Martin, who has lived on the lane for six months with her husband and three young children, said she often warns her kids to stay away from it.

"It just keeps on building up and building up," Martin said.

City spokesman Bill Brennan said Kalihi-Palama area residents call regularly, and bulky pickup trucks are sent out "as resources allow," with priority given to roads blocked by trash.

"The city does not have an illegal dumping cleanup squad at the ready," Brennan said. "We provide collection services on a schedule for refuse, bulky and green waste. When some in our community behave irresponsibly, we do our our best to respond."

Elvira Whiting, who has been battling the trash since moving to Lopez Lane four years ago, said the dumping has only worsened and no one has been listening to her concerns. She said she's sick of calling the city to take trash away and tired of afternoon breezes bringing in sickening wafts of rotten refuse.

"It's so stink," Whiting said.

But Brennan said he's not sure what more the city can do about the problem, noting that if it were taking place on a public street the response would be the same.

Rhoads, a Democratic candidate for a state House seat, said more people are complaining to him about the dumping.

"It's very close to people's houses," Rhoads said. "There's trash there all the time."

MATTER OF PRIDE

Bernadette Young, chairwoman of the Kalihi-Palama Neighborhood Board said piles of trash — from sofas to cans of paint — can regularly be found on Lopez, Rawlins, Auld, Austin and 'Iao lanes, among others. Young, an 'Iao Lane resident, said trash often piles up outside her home, with loose trash clogging storm drains and blowing into her yard.

"The dumping situation is a matter of personal pride," Young said, clicking her tongue. "These dumpers need to have more pride for the area that they live in."

Amy Lam, who lives near Rawlins and Auld lanes, said a dump site is situated near her house. When she calls city officials about taking trash away, they usually haul out wet trash within a few weeks. But piles of junk — mattresses, chairs, appliances and even paint cans left out in the sun — remain for months.

Reach Mary Vorsino at mvorsino@honoluluadvertiser.com.