STORY SUMMARY>>>

For the past several days residents and businesses in Honolulu’s Chinatown have been putting up with huge mounds of trash along a curb on North Hotel Street.

"If it was just among us it's not too bad, we can tolerate the smell,” said store owner Paul Min. “But every morning we have a Chinatown walking tour. What image are we giving to the tourists here?”

According to the Department of Environmental Services only one store owner in the area is paying the city for trash service, which allows the vendor to place his rubbish along the curb. Spokesman Markus Owens says all of the other trash along North Hotel Street near the corner of Kekaulike Street is being dumped illegally.

“We are considering some increased enforcement in the area since police are already heavily burdened by other matters,” said Owens.

However Owens could not say why the mountain of trash was allowed to sit on the curb for days since garbage collection is scheduled every day except Sundays.

Anthony Marlin of the Downtown Neighborhood Board said although the mess is largely the result of illegal dumpers he questioned the city’s failure to collect the trash, which forced many people to cover their noses as they walked by.

“Not paying to have their trash removed,” asked an incredulous Marlin. “Okay, that may be fine and dandy but you decide not to pick up any trash and make it an environmental hazard?”

Late Tuesday refuse workers arrived on the scene and finally cleared away all of the garbage. One unidentified worker told Khon2 the trash was left on the curb because “some businesses were not paying.”

Owens says the city will continue to monitor the situation to make sure trash doesn’t pile up yet again. He said store owners and residents in the area can help remedy the situation by reporting illegal dumping to police and providing a written statement if they see it happening.

Andrew may be reached at apereira@khon2.com or ph. 591-4263.