Automated refuse service begins this week for 5,500 Upcountry Maui homes this week, the county Department of Environmental Management announced today.

Residents who recently received a new, dark brown automated refuse cart should place the cart out for collection on their two designated days per week, the county said in a news release.

Carts should be placed at the curb, at least five feet away from any obstructions. Pickup may occur anytime between the hours of 5 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

A list of street names, pickup days and type of pickup (manual/automated) is online at www.mauicounty.gov/refusecollectiondays.htm. Upcountry residents with questions about their service should call the Upcountry refuse service office at 572-3958.

Cart delivery to more than 1,500 homes in Lahaina is scheduled to begin Nov. 1; automated service there will begin the week of Nov. 24. Lahaina residents with questions may call 270-7452.

To open a new refuse collection service account, residents may utilize the online application at www.mauicounty.gov/refuseapp.pdf or call the refuse and landfill accounts office at 270-7720. Service is $168 per year, billed in 6-month increments.