Do us proud, Mililani: Separate your trash

It's no secret we were miffed when the City Council pulled the plug on an islandwide curbside recycling program that was to start in July.

So we're pleased that Mayor Jeremy Harris is forging ahead with curbside recycling, starting with 11,000 Mililani households. A four-month pilot program is expected to begin on Nov. 3 as a prelude to islandwide curbside recycling.

Baby steps are fine, as long as they lead somewhere. In this case, the pilot program will help the city gauge how many people really need a second-day rubbish pickup once curbside recycling begins.

Now, some Mililani residents have expressed reluctance to participate, which is disheartening. What are they afraid of? They'll still get their twice-weekly trash pickups.

And in addition, twice a month, they'll be asked to put out their recyclables — glass, newspapers, aluminum and plastic — either in a free green bin or their garbage can. The recyclables don't even have to be sorted. They can all be dumped into the same bin, as long as they're separate from the waste going to the landfill.

Frankly, we don't have much sympathy for those who say they don't have time to recycle, or that it's too much work. This is not about convenience, it's about sparing the environment.

If there are glitches in the system, the pilot program will find them. But first Mililani residents have to participate in the program so we can figure out how to do it right.