Q. Now that Mayor Mufi Hannemann announced a plan to have automated trucks pick up blue bins full of green waste next year, what will happen to those three-person crews that currently pick up yard clippings, branches, etc., twice a month?

A. Beginning in March, the city will start to make the transition to automated pickup in those areas that have received the 64-gallon blue bins originally purchased for household curbside recycling of bottles, cans and newspapers, said city Environmental Services Director Eric Takamura. That means that for a time, people in those areas would likely see twice-monthly pickup by both sets of crews, he said, which could mean weekly service.

But he said the city plans to convert to twice-a-month automated pickup eventually. One way the city hopes to deal efficiently with green waste, Takamura said, is to schedule the blue-bin pickup the day after a regular pickup of the larger 96-gallon gray bins. That would be so that people could put green waste in both containers because the gray bins would be empty.

"The majority of the people will probably be OK with a blue bin and a gray bin every other week," Takamura said.

Q. At least twice a month, my yard generates more than eight bags of green waste, which the crews pick up no matter how much we put out. What will happen to people like us?

A. That's not entirely clear yet, Takamura said. Because the plan to use the blue bins for green waste is new, some details are still being worked out, he said.

But he said the city is still reviewing what green waste patterns are to determine the best way to encourage more yard waste recycling, without discouraging those already doing it.

"We'll evaluate what to do with areas that routinely generate a lot of green waste," Takamura said.

Takamura said the city does plan to offer residents the option of buying another gray bin for $70 to help with the load. But he said the city will also consider how else to help residents who regularly produce bigger batches of green waste.

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