By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Q. Every year our neighbors set off a lot of fireworks and the paper ends up in our yard and on the street. They clean up their own yard, but the rest of it just sits until someone else picks it up or the wind or rain gets rid of it. Are they responsible for cleaning up the trash that falls outside their property? If so, is there any penalty if they don't? Where do I call to complain?

A. Unfair as it may seem, you may have little recourse. Art Challacombe, customer service chief for the city Department of Planning and Permitting, said that the city can issue a civil citation, but it's difficult to prove your neighbor is responsible unless you want to pull out a video camera and record the act.

On top of that, the city's sidewalk ordinance says the litter on the sidewalk becomes the responsibility of the adjacent property owner, which means that if it's in front of your house, you have to clean it up.

You also could call the police, according to Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Jean Motoyama. Your neighbor could be cited for criminal littering, which is a petty misdemeanor. However, police may have to witness the actual act of littering to issue the citation.

Q. Where can I recycle old magazines? I can't put them in the city's newspaper recycle bins.

A. Just throw them away, advises city recycling specialist Irobela Wreagh. The city does not accept magazines for recycling because magazines are printed on much lower-grade paper and there is not much market demand for them.

"The city does not collect magazines in drop-off bins because the value is so low that it costs more to ship them than the value of the paper itself," she said.

Island Recycling will accept magazines but will not pay for them or pick them up. Wreagh points out that the fossil fuel you'll use up driving your magazines over to Island Recycling will negate the positive environmental impact of recycling them in the first place. However, if you still want to recycle them, you can drop them off at either of Island Recycling's sites: 1803 Dillingham Blvd. or 50 Sand Island Access Road.

Do you ever get frustrated or confused trying to navigate the various layers of government? Are you looking for an answer to a simple question but can't figure out where to start? 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:

• e-mail: buster@honoluluadvertiser.com

• Phone: 535-2454 and leave a message.

Be sure to give us your name and daytime telephone number.