Trash problem along H-1 corridor no laughing matter
By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist
A couple of weeks ago, I made a crack about a politician and his supporters picking up trash along H-1 near Kapolei. It struck me as funny that a crucial element to this campaign was leaving behind the bags and bags of rubbish with the politician's name prominently displayed on each, as if that would be a favorable association.
Some joke. Nobody laughed.
It seems the trash problem along that corridor is something that makes people run red hot. From Nanakuli to Makakilo, the road side is speckled with white paper bags, black pieces of tires, all manner of large debris and pieces of trash so small it looks like Rip Taylor blew through with his bag of confetti.
Having to drive past that mess makes people like Wai'anae teacher Lorraine Gershun angry and frustrated:
"There are elections coming up," Gershun said. "I would be way more likely to vote for somebody whose supporters spend the day cleaning up the side of the road and leaving filled garbage bags with the politicians name plastered on the side, than somebody whose campaign effort is useless sign waving on the side of the road (a traffic hazard, especially on Farrington Highway.) I might even join the campaign and help with the cleanup."
The heart of the problem seems to stem from the Waimanalo Gulch land fill. The trash blows up from the dump and catches along the branches of koa haole and stalks of brown grass on the side of the road. Also contributing to the problem are trucks headed toward the landfill carrying uncovered loads.
Juanita Oclaray has vowed to do something about it.
"I have my own little campaign of calling the companies of those trucks that have stuff flying out," Oclaray says. "It probably doesn't go anywhere, but it makes me feel better."
George Abcede, an engineer with the Department of Transportation said this kind of civilian reconnaissance does help, but there's only so much his office can do because they don't have an enforcement arm.
The DOT has a crew of just six people to cover all roadside maintenance from Makua Cave through Makakilo. They cut the grass, respond to emergencies and spend one day a week picking up rubbish. "It's a constant thing," says Abcede. "We can clean it today, and I guarantee it'll be back tomorrow."
The State's Adopt-a-Highway program has a two-mile stretch in the area that is adopted (which, to be brutally honest, looks just about as bad as the rest), but much of the rest of that stretch of roadway is too dangerous for the state to send out civilian volunteers.
So what to do about the problem? There seems to be no one-shot solution. It's kind of like cleaning your shower: you can do a really great job scrubbing down that tile and getting the stains out of the grout, but sooner or later, the limu will always grow back. It's a routine maintenance thing. But so far, there haven't been enough resources, state or private, to routinely maintain that stretch of road to anyone's satisfaction.
And as to the politicians and their campaign-related rubbish-picking efforts — here's a twist — they're breaking the law. There are strict regulations about signage along state roadways, and labeling the trash bags with the politician's name is a violation of rules against roadside advertising. Abcede says politicians have been warned that there's a maximum $250 fine for the violation, but he adds, "I don't mind if they're picking up trash, they just shouldn't be putting signs on the bags."
Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.
