Watch new episodes of Opalavision produced monthly for The GREEN CHANNEL on Oceanic Time Warner 332 and here at opala.org. Get the behind the scenes story of The Making of Opalavision.

Taking care of opala (the Hawaiian word for garbage) is everyone's business.

The trash generated by homes and businesses is called “solid waste,” and the City's Department of Environmental Services, Refuse Division manages the collection, disposal and recycling operations.

It's the ENV's job to provide an islandwide waste management system that protects our environment and operates efficiently to minimize costs to island residents and businesses. It's everyone's job to know how to properly dispose of or recycle the waste materials you generate, when to set out your garbage for collection, how to contain it so it doesn't spill in the street, what and where to recycle. Curbside recycling has made this easier than ever. Most of Oahu is expected to have curbside recycling by May 2010.

The City Department of Environmental Services uses waste-to-energy (H-POWER), recycling, composting to reduce the need for landfill. We evaluate emerging technologies that could further reduce our reliance on landfills.

Please do your part to put opala in its place. ENV educates and informs the public through its website (you’re here), and other educational tools and campaigns, including Tour de Trash, which offers residents a chance to get an up-close tour of recycling and waste processing operations on Oahu, and Discover Recycling Fairs, which reach out to educators and students to bring recycling into the classroom and facilitate adoption at home. And now with Opalavision on The Green Channel.

Take the time to learn more about what you can do to sort it out. It's our island, our home and our responsibility to protect the health and beauty of the environment.