The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation, along with Councilmember Andria Tupola, announced a 10-day closure of the northern-portion Ulehawa Beach Park to remove trash and homeless encampments. 

The park will be closed from the Ulehawa Stream to just past Prince Kahanu Avenue in Nānākuli. The closure will take place from Nov. 21 at 10 p.m. until Nov. 30 at 5 a.m. However, the adjacent bathroom building and parking lot will remain open, according to a news release.

The clean-up will include the enforcement of the Stored Property Ordinance, which allows the city to remove personal property left in public places. Many people believe the ordinance targets homeless individuals, who often have nowhere to store their belongings, according to reporting from the Honolulu Civil Beat. 

DPR staff, Department of Facility Maintenance personnel and Honolulu Police Department officers will work together to catalog and tag every piece of personal property stored in the area, and then return 24 hours later to impound remaining items for at least 30 days before throwing them away. 

Afterwards, community volunteers and Council member Tupola’s office will work with DPR staff to remove any remaining trash.

The public is invited to join a beach clean-up on Nov. 23 from 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., meeting at the Ulehawa Beach Park parking lot. Volunteers are asked to wear covered-toe shoes, heavy-duty gloves, hat, and sun protection, and if possible to register with Councilmember Tupola’s office by emailing atupola@honolulu.gov.

In April, a similar closure and clean-up effort for the southern portion of the Ulehawa Beach park resulted in the removal of nearly three tons of trash and over 10 cubic yards of recycled metal.

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.