More trouble with fat-screen TVs

Bulky pick-up is only option to dump TVs

By June Watanabe

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Nov 19, 2008
Question: My TV broke just a couple of days after the October e-waste recycling drive at the University of Hawaii-Manoa ended. Can you please tell me when and where will the next e-waste recycling collection will be?

Answer: The five-day Hawaii's Education & Government eWaste Disposal Days 2008, which included one day for private households to dispose of computers and other electronics, isn't going to be repeated anytime soon.

We don't know of any other recycling event that will accept TV sets.

The state Legislature this year passed a law, overriding a veto by Gov. Linda Lingle, that will require manufacturers to collect and recycle electronic devices, mainly computer devices, beginning in 2010.

TV sets are not included.

However, the new law also establishes a working group, to include TV manufacturers, to develop a plan to recycle TVs.

For now, you can put your broken TV out for bulky item pickup, said Markus Owens, spokesman for the city Department of Environmental Services.

The city does not have an e-waste recycling program for TVs or other electronics.

For electronic recycling options, Owens suggested checking on manufacturer take-back programs or retailer programs.

"These have been growing in recent months with the likes of Costco and Sam's Club promoting take-backs that include financial incentives for the customer," he said.

Individual manufacturers, such as Dell, Sony and Hewlett-Packard also offer recycling options on their Web sites.

Monthly "Aloha Aina" recycling events do accept electronics (not TVs), but in limited quantities only from households, Owens said.

Bikers' rights
In your Nov. 11 column about the Paki Avenue bike path, Honolulu police Capt. Jeff Richards said bikers should use bike paths for their own safety, especially along Paki Avenue. His statement, I suspect, is based more on his own personal feelings and not those of an experienced bicyclist. Bicyclists on Oahu do have the right to ride in the roadway, as allowed in state and county laws. Our bikes are considered vehicles and we have most of the same rights and responsibilities as motorists. Capt. Richards' comment at face value may appear to be true but in many cases riding a bicycle on a crowded path, regardless of what it is called, where bicyclists and pedestrians are mixed can be more hazardous than riding in the road. Unfortunately, with the abysmal state of roadways and bike paths, each brings its own set of challenges. -- Bike Commuter/Racer for 20 years

You're correct that bikers are allowed to use the roadways, but are also subject to vehicular traffic laws, including stopping for red lights and stop signs, said Capt. Richards.

Under Section 291C-145 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, bikers traveling slower than "the normal speed of traffic" on a roadway "shall ride as near to the right-hand curb, on the edge of the roadway, or on the shoulder off of the roadway as practicable ... "

When there is "a usable bicycle lane," the law only says they have to be in that lane if they are traveling less than the normal speed of traffic.