Q. I've noticed that people seem to be making a living by going through the trash cans on my street in Kalihi, looking for recyclables. They're dressed in long sleeves, pants, boots and rubber gloves and they push massive bags of beverage containers in shopping carts.

In addition to just rummaging through our trash, they cut the bags open and leave the trash loose so that some flies out when it's being put in the garbage truck. I've seen slips of paper with my name and address on the street. Isn't this illegal?

A. The Halona Street resident who brought this up also pointed me to this law:

According to the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, Sec. 9-1.6, the owner of the trash, refuse workers and licensed contractors are the only ones allowed to remove, disturb, collect or haul away any refuse that has been put out for collection.

"People are not allowed to go through your trash," said David Shiraishi, head of the city's Refuse Division. "We informed the Police Department that they had the authority to stop and, if they wanted to, cite someone who is going through people's rubbish."

Q. There is a "No Parking Here To Corner" sign between my neighbor's house and mine that is no longer effective because there are driveways from the sign to the corner and no one can park there anyway. Who can I contact to have the sign removed? Neighborhoods become "sign polluted" and if we can remove some that don't make sense, it would look much better.

A. The solution isn't as simple as it might seem, said Richard Torres, the deputy director of the city Department of Transportation Services. The city will have to determine if the sign is still necessary. Not only will that require evaluation by the city Department of Transportation Services, it might also require public hearings.

You can reach the Department of Transportation Services at 768-8303.

Q. Do you need to be a Hawai'i resident to get a driver's license here?

A. No. You don't even need to be a U.S. resident, according to the Motor Vehicle and Licensing Division.

While a Social Security number is listed as a requirement, immigrants may use their passports and official papers instead, if they get permission from the Social Security Administration.

U.S. residents who live in other states can also get a driver's license in Hawai'i without having to change residency, but if they hold licenses from other states, they would have to surrender them.