The start of the city's curbside recycling pilot program this week will take Hawai'i Kai resident Margo Edwards back nearly two decades.

She and her husband grew accustomed to curbside recycling on the Mainland before they moved to Hawai'i about 17 years ago.

"It's about time for Hawai'i," said Edwards, a geologist and University of Hawai'i researcher. "Hawai'i is such a beautiful place, and there's not exactly a lot of space for landfills."

Edwards' family will be part of the city's curbside recycling pilot program that will serve about 12,000 households in Mililani and 8,000 homes in Hawai'i Kai.

The city last week worked on final details of the project, including delivering the last sets of blue recycling bins in Hawai'i Kai and fielding more than 100 calls daily from residents with questions about the new system.

Most of the calls were from people seeking clarification on details such as start dates and the types of plastics that can be included in the blue mixed-recyclables bin, said city recycling coordinator Suzanne Jones.

She encouraged residents to call if they have questions about the program. The city also is taking feedback during the project.

"We want to hear from them," Jones said. "We want to know how it's working, what problems they might be having, and we're going to do our best to help them. ... This all just gives us a sense of what's happening out there and the things that we might need to make adjustments to as we go."

TRACKING PROCESS

The city will monitor the program in other ways, including tracking the type and amount of materials delivered to the recycling and composting facilities. City workers will monitor trucks as they unload and note what's coming from each route.

The city also will select "study routes" where staff will count the blue and green containers on the curb and check items in those containers, Jones said. If staff finds unacceptable materials in the container, the city will leave a notice on the cart.

Jones said the city will not check gray trash bins for recyclables, unless a household has requested an extra trash bin.

The city will later conduct a formal survey.

Starting this week and running through Jan. 5, Hawai'i Kai and Mililani will continue to have two days of trash pickup, plus alternating curbside recycling and green waste pickup once a week on the second collection day.

The first collection of mixed recyclables in the blue bin will take place in some parts of Mililani on Thursday. Hawai'i Kai's blue bin pickup will begin the following week.

Beginning the week of Jan. 7, the second day of trash pickup will end for the two communities.

Pending City Council approval, Mililani residents would have the option to pay $10 a month if they want to continue to have a second day of trash collection each week. Hawai'i Kai residents will not have that option.

That's a concern for Edwards.

"The only thing that we're worried about is how stinky it's going to be when our trash pickup is only once a week," she said. "But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Officials have said households that prove they are recycling and still need an extra garbage bin will get one free. But both bins will be emptied once a week, on the same day, unless the household is in Mililani and pays for twice-weekly collection.

But Edwards, a mother of two sons, was still looking forward to the program. The family already recycles paper, cans and bottles, and even composts.

"It's not just us trying to make a difference," she said. "If the city starts implementing this so that everybody will try to make a difference, then we really are going to have an impact than if it were just my family or families that this is important to."

"We're really excited. We hope the island buys into it because I think for the long-term life of Hawai'i, it's a necessary thing."

ISLANDWIDE PROGRAM

Mayor Mufi Hannemann has said he's serious about expanding the program islandwide.

O'ahu voters approved a 2006 city charter amendment that added curbside recycling to the city's environmental duties.

City officials have said the pilot program will cost up to $1.5 million, while an islandwide program could cost $9 million annually.

The city had a similar recycling project in Mililani more than three years ago, but it was halted by a dispute with the United Public Workers union, which represents city garbage workers.

Then-Mayor Jeremy Harris had planned to expand a privatized recycling project islandwide, but the United Public Workers successfully argued it would violate an agreement allowing the city to shift from manual garbage collection to automated collection.

Under Hannemann's plan, UPW members will collect recyclables.

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.