It's a shame that curbside recycling on O'ahu appears dead in the water — at least for the foreseeable future.

That means Hawai'i unfortunately will retain the dubious distinction of being the largest city in the nation without a curbside recycling program.

As an island community, an aggressive and comprehensive recycling mission is crucial. It's more than just protecting the beautiful landscape and ensuring a healthy tourism economy. Being good stewards of the land is very much a part of our culture, a lesson we pass down to generations.

It's hard not to sympathize with Mayor Mufi Hannemann, who inherited his fair share of headaches from the previous administration. When he took over, the city had already spent $3 million and two years setting up the recycling program.

Among other things, Hannemann inherited the dreadful lack of wisdom behind leasing and delivering some 50,000 bins to residents — without a recycling program in place.

The program met with resistance from the United Public Workers union. And now, legal delays surrounding competing venders have all but ensured long and painful delays.

Hannemann says there's no point in promising a program that simply can't get off the ground until well into next year. Instead, the city plans to increase the number of bins at local parks, among other places — and that's a good thing.

But a curbside program is sorely needed to capture a significant share of refuse that will otherwise find its way into the waste stream.

We have the money and the will — just look at the folks waiting in long lines and hauling their recyclables to redemption centers.

Surely there must be a way to get this done. Anyone?