Growing pile of trash alarms Pearl City residents

HONOLULU (KHON2) — A large container truck parked in a Pearl City neighborhood has become an eyesore for residents because of the trash that has accumulated around it.

Residents reached out to KHON2 to get something done about it.

Area residents said that a homeless couple has been living in the container truck for months. And, during that time, trash has been accumulating in and around the truck.

Some of the residents we spoke with did not want to be identified, but they definitely want something done about it.

“It’s disturbing. I think our whole neighborhood feels like that, disturbing. I don’t like it; they’ve been there for three months already,” said one resident.

“When I walked down, whoo, I saw all that rubbish. Yes, I don’t like it,” said another resident.

Residents are starting to worry about the health risks as the bags of trash keep spreading throughout the neighborhood.

“If it keeps getting worse, the trash keeps on accumulating, then it’s gonna be a problem,” said resident Tom Uyehara.

“When you said a problem what do you think will happen?” asked KHON2.

“It might get rats and cats and whatever,” he said.

Neighbors said at times, they can hear the hum of a generator just outside the truck. When residents have confronted him, he tells them he’s planning to leave.

“[he] said that he was going to be moving from there. He took out all his belongings and then has re-sorted them out all again. And, I guess, it goes back into his truck,” said resident Carol Lee.

The man who has been staying at the truck said a lot of the trash isn’t even his. Residents have been dumping it there, and he’s asked the city to pick it up.

Residents are calling on the city to clean up the mess.

We reached out to Councilmember Val Okimoto who represents the district. A staff member said they’re working with the city to address it.

We reached out to the mayor’s office, and a spokesman said crews will be cleaning up the area by Friday, March 31.

We also checked with Honolulu Police Department to see if they’ve responded before to neighbors concerns. We’ll let you know when we hear back.

“I would like them to take that truck away. There’s laws where any car cannot just stay in the same place all the time; it’s supposed to move,” said Uyehara.