Curbside Recycling Islandwide Expansion

"How we manage our island’s waste will affect generations to come. Let’s work together to do right for Hawaii. This new curbside recycling program will divert thousands of tons from our landfill, but it means changing how we manage our household waste. It’s bound to require some adjustments in your daily routine. Please call us with questions or problems, and our recycling team will do its best to make the system work for you. Your feedback during these initial phases of implementation is important as the City expands curbside recycling islandwide. Recycling starts with each of us. So please, give this program your support. Mahalo." -Mayor Mufi Hannemann

Mililani and Hawaii Kai were the first communities and assisted the City in gathering information and refining the system in pilot programs that began October 2007.
Click to review the Curbside Recycling Pilot Program Evaluation Report.

The islandwide expansion is underway and new communities will be added every six months. In the meantime, the Community Recycling Bin program will continue to offer a convenient drop-off option and more locations are being added. And curbside collection of green waste will continue to be collected in bags until your area is incorporated in the new cart system. See the green waste collection schedules for your area.

Curbside expansion timetable:
October 2007: Mililani, Hawaii Kai
November 2008
: Kuliouou to Manoa, Kapahulu; Kailua, Lanikai; Mokuleia to Sunset
May 2009: Waipio Gentry to Halawa; Wahiawa, Whitmore, Waipio Estates, Launani Valley; Kaneohe; Waimanalo
November 2009: Foster Village to Makiki; Kahuku to Kahaluu
May 2010: Makakilo to Waikele, Waipahu; Ewa Beach to West Loch; Honokai Hale to Makua

The program expansion will follow the program design used for the pilot. Early results were encouraging. Mayor Hannemann held community meetings around Oahu in April and May 2007 and again in April 2008 to gather residents’ input on this proposed curbside system. Click here for a recap of the 2007 meetings.

What you need to know:
About Your Refuse and Recycling Carts
About Sorting
About Your Collection Schedule
About Additional Cart Options
About Getting Comfortable with the New System
Tips for Sorting, Recycling and Reducing Waste and Litter
Additional Drop-off Options
FREE Mulch

About Your Refuse and Recycling Carts

Your household will have a complement of three carts for sorting your waste – gray for refuse, green for green waste, and blue for mixed recyclables. Additional carts are available to accommodate larger generating households. Please see About Additional cart Options.

About Sorting

Green waste includes grass, tree and hedge trimmings; Christmas trees (no ornaments or flocking).

Mixed recyclables include newspaper, corrugated cardboard, glass bottles and jars, aluminum cans and plastic containers #1 and #2 plastic codes.
Rinse containers. Remove lids. Labels are okay.

No other paper, magazines, telephone books, glossy paper, cereal or tissue boxes. No other glass, such as drinking glasses, ceramics, window glass. No other plastic, such as polystyrene foam, plastic tubs, plastic bags, plastic toys.

You may notice the City's Opala Team checking blue and green carts very early in the mornings. City ENV personnel are tracking the quantity and quality of the collected materials, and may tag your cart if they note problems to help you make any needed corrections. Click here to learn more about the inspection process.

More detail about What to Recycle.
More detail about plastic resin codes.

About Your Collection Schedule

For most households, your current collection days will remain the same - Monday/Thursday, Tuesday/Friday or Wednesday/Saturday. A few neighborhoods will change collection days and it will be noted in your instructional brochure. In the new system, one collection day is for refuse in the gray cart and the other is for recycling pickup, alternating weekly between the green and blue carts. In some areas, the first collection day will be for recycling and second day for refuse. In other areas it is the reverse. Please see the specific collection schedule for your area and a monthly calendar showing alternating weekly schedules. Click here for Collection Schedules and Calendars.

About Additional Cart Options

If your household consistently generates more than the average quantity of green waste or non-recyclable refuse, you can request additional carts at no charge. You may request up to two additional green carts for green waste. A second gray cart can be issued to households with large families and greater amounts of refuse, and set out in tandem on your once per week pickup day. There is no charge for these additional carts; however, the households will be asked to demonstrate need. Households requesting an additional gray refuse cart must be fully recycling to qualify. Please call the City’s Recycling Office at 768-3200 to make your request. Please be prepared for City personnel to inspect and monitor your refuse setout.

About Getting Comfortable With the New System

A one-month transition period will allow residents to adjust to the new system. Twice-weekly refuse collection will continue for one month (following the program start date) at no charge while you get accustomed to sorting recyclables into the blue and green carts and see how much waste remains in your gray cart for refuse pickup. This one month will give you time to determine if you need additional carts or service.

Tips for Sorting, Recycling and Reducing Waste and Litter

  • Set aside an area in your kitchen, perhaps under the sink, to place a small collection container for mixed recyclables for your family’s convenience. All of the recyclables can be mixed together, so all you need is a single container.
  • Deposit green waste directly into the cart as you do your yard work – it’s convenient and eliminates the need to purchase yard bags.
  • Deposit loose green waste and mixed recyclables into your carts. Avoid using bags as much as possible.
  • All material must fit in the cart with the lid closed. Carts with green waste or refuse or boxes protruding out the top cannot be collected. Please cut branches, flatten boxes.
  • Heavy amounts of grass clippings may be bagged to prevent clumping. Or place cut branches in the bottom of the cart to help the material slide out during collection.
  • Meter your green waste over more than one collection day if your household generates high volumes of green waste sporadically, but not consistently for every pickup. Green waste pickup is provided every other week, while most households do yard work monthly. It may not be possible to set out all of your green waste on the very next single collection day. You may need to distribute it over the two or more collection days provided each month.
  • Consider leaving grass clippings on your lawn as you mow to reduce your volume of green waste – it’s called grass-cycling and adds nutrients to the soil. A full year of grass-cycling is equivalent to one fertilizer treatment.
  • Another volume reducing technique is to allow leaves and branches to sit in a pile and dry out for about a week before putting them into your cart.
  • Bag all garbage before placing into your refuse cart. Keep the lid of your refuse closed and covers on all garbage receptacles around your home.
  • Periodically wash out your refuse cart.

Additional Drop-off Options

Households may also drop off refuse, bulky items and green waste at any of the City’s Convenience Centers or green waste can be taken directly to the composting facility. There is no charge. If you take your green waste to the composter, you can also use this opportunity to pickup free mulch.

Refuse & Recycling Convenience Centers
Open seven days; 7:00am - 6:00pm
Closed Christmas and New Year’s Day

Ewa, Geiger Road
Laie, Kamehameha Highway
Wahiawa, Wilikina Drive
Waianae, Plantation Road
Waimanalo, Hihimanu Street
Waipahu, Waipahu Depot Street
Kawailoa (Haleiwa), Kawailoa Road
Kapaa Transfer Station, Kapaa Quarry Road (10am - 6:00pm, Mon - Fri; 7:00am - 6:00pm, Sat - Sun)

Composting Sites
Hawaiian Earth Products
Leeward, Campbell Industrial Park
Mon-Fri, 7:00am - 4:30pm
Sat-Sun, 8:00am - 12:00pm

682-5895

Special note to town homes, multi-family dwellings and homes serviced with a manual refuse collection system (not with the wheeled carts). The City does not provide curbside pickup of green waste or mixed recyclables to your homes. However, drop-off facilities and free mulch are available to all householders, as well as bulky collection service, community recycling carts, household hazardous waste drop-off events and more.

FREE Mulch Sites

Organic mulch holds in moisture, controls weeds and reduces soil erosion, saving energy and resources. Mulch can be used around plants in the garden or as soft "paving" for garden paths. Mulch (and compost) can be purchased at local garden shops or directly from Oahu composting companies. Mulch is also available free from the City.

Halawa Xeriscape Garden
Address: 99-1268 Iwaena Street, Aiea, 96701
Location: Garden is located at the end of Iwaena Street. Click for map.
Call: 748-5041
*Note: Mulch available on Saturdays 9AM to 3:00PM ONLY

Hawaiian Earth Products, Windward
Address: 101 Kapaa Quarry Road, Kailua, 96734
Location: Turn mauka on road across from Kawai Nui Marsh Model Airplane Park. Click for map.
Call: 261-5877

Hawaiian Earth Products, Campbell Industrial Park
Address: 91-400 Malakole St., Kapolei, 96707
Location: Mulch piles visible from the road. Click for map.
Call: 682-5895

© 2005 City & County of Honolulu's Department of Environmental Services.