Tree recycling day Jan. 5 on O'ahu

By Scott Ishikawa
Advertiser Staff Writer

Tired of vacuuming those pine needles off the rug? Maybe it's time to get rid of that Christmas tree.

This year's city/state "TreeCycling" program will fall on Jan. 5 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the following locations:

• Kailua Intermediate School
• Kaiser High School
• Kapalama Elementary School
• Kapi'olani Community College
• Kapolei Elementary School
• Makaunulau (16 Acres) Park (Mililani)
• Polynesian Cultural Center
• University of Hawai'i-Manoa at Richardson Law School
• Wai'anae Comprehensive Health Center
• Waiau District Park
• Waimea Falls Park

Trees with tinsel or flocking will not be accepted.

Last year's drop-off program took in about 12,000 trees. The program is now held one weekend a year instead of two because the city now offers curbside green-waste collection.

Volunteers from the Lions Clubs and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints help coordinate the tree drop-off program each year.

Residents and businesses can also have Christmas trees, lawn clippings and tree trimmings picked up on twice-a-month green waste collection days.

Check the sticker on your automated refuse collection bin for your green-waste schedule. Yard waste mixed with household rubbish will not be collected.

If you just can't wait to get rid of that tree, it can be taken to one of the city's refuse convenience centers.

The centers are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily unless otherwise noted:

• 'Ewa: Geiger Road near gate to Kalaeloa. 226-2996.

• Hale'iwa: Kawailoa Road. 637-5511.

• Honolulu: 606 Middle St. 845-1162. Open noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

• Kailua: Kapa'a Quarry Access Road. 262-4248. Open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

• La'ie: Behind the city's La'ie Corporation Yard, 56-020 Kamehameha Highway. 293-8714.

• Wahiawa: 71-129 Wilikina Drive, where Kamananui Road meets Wilikina Drive. 621-3648.

• Wai'anae: Off Plantation Road next to the Wai'anae Landfill. 696-4203.

• Waimanalo: Hihimanu Street near the sewage treatment plant. 259-7182.

• Waipahu: Waipahu Depot Road near the Honolulu Police Academy. 676-8878.

Mulch is also available for free from the city at Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden (Kane'ohe); Kapa'a Transfer Station (Kailua); Manoa Community Garden; Waimea Falls Park; and Wahiawa Community Garden.

Reach Scott Ishikawa at sishikawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.

•	For more information, call 527-5335 or visit the city's Web site at www.opala.org