What to Recycle
How to Dispose of...

Navigate our website for recycling and disposal instructions via a list of common items:

Recyclable materials are sorted and shipped to remanufacturing facilities in Asia or the Mainland.

What to recycle
Aluminum
Glass
Plastic 1 and 2
Newspaper
Corrugated Cardboard
White/Colored Office Paper
Appliances
Autos
Batteries
Cell Phones
Computers
CFL Light Bulbs
Metals
Plastic Bags
Propane Tanks
Tires

Green waste is mulched and composted locally. Purchase in garden shops and see list of FREE MULCH sites.

Green Waste
Christmas Trees

 

Refuse is processed at the H-POWER waste-to-energy facility. Low-grade papers and plastics are combustible and provide greater benefit to the island in local energy production than shipping to distant markets to be made into new products. Mechanical separators pull ferrous and non-ferrous metals from the trash for recycling.

How to Dispose of...
General Refuse
Plastic Bags
Plastic 3-7
Styrofoam
Junk Mail
Magazines
Telephone books
Cereal boxes/chipboard
Paper products
Tin/steel food cans
Ceramics, dishes, glassware, mirrors, etc.

Bulky items, rock, dirt, concrete go to landfill. Expansions to H-POWER will provide additional capacity to process the combustible furniture, mattresses and carpet. Recycling efforts in the construction industry could divert more concrete and rock.

Furniture, Mattresses
Rock, dirt, concrete




Special handling is required for hazardous waste. Disposal is costly and inconvenient. Waste prevention strategies are the most effective: buy only what you need, use it all, use non-hazardous alternatives.

Hazardous Chemicals
Paint
Recycle at Curbside, Community Bins, Redemption Centers (separate instructions for businesses where applicable)

Aluminum Cans
Rinse, okay to crush.

Drop off at Community Recycling Bins. Put in blue curbside recycling carts. Take deposit beverage containers to redemption center to redeem your deposits.

Glass Bottles & Jars
Rinse, remove and discard lids and tops; okay to leave labels on.

Drop off at Community Recycling Bins. Put in blue curbside recycling carts. Take deposit beverage containers to redemption center to redeem your deposits. Bars and restaurants are required by law to recycle their glass bottles. Small collectors and recycling companies provide free pickup service. Several local companies make recycled glass products.

Plastic Containers (1 and 2)
Look for the plastic number code in the triangle embossed on containers. Number 1 and 2 plastics include all bottles, such as beverage, detergent, shampoo, vitamin; and some other container types as well. More information on plastic numeric codes.

Drop off at Community Recycling Bins. Put in blue curbside recycling carts. Take deposit beverage containers to redemption center to redeem your deposits.

Newspaper
Remove magazines and glossy inserts.

Drop off at Community Recycling Bins. Put in blue curbside recycling carts. Some recycled products are locally made.

Corrugated Cardboard Boxes
Flatten boxes; corrugated only. No single layer chipboard such as cereal boxes, detergent boxes, tissue boxes, etc.

Drop off at Community Recycling Bins. Put in blue curbside recycling carts. Cardboard is restricted at City disposal sites to no more than 10% per truckload. Large commercial generators of cardboard, including retail operations, can arrange for separate pickup service through recycling companies and haulers.

White & Colored Office Paper
Bond paper only. Separately seal in box or paper bag for deposit in bin.

Drop off at Community Recycling Bins. Commercial and government office buildings are required by law to recycle office paper. Pickup service can be arranged through a recycling company or hauler. Some recycled products are locally made.

Green Waste
Yard trimmings, leaves, grass clippings, Christmas trees (no ornaments, tinsel or flocking)

Place at curb for recycling collection in wheeled green carts for automated collection areas or in bags in manual collection areas. Drop off at City Convenience Centers or take directly to the composting facility, Hawaiian Earth Products, which manufactures mulch and compost products. Leave grass clippings on your lawn when you mow to return nutrients to the soil. Green waste is restricted at City disposal sites to no more than 10% per truckload. Large commercial generators of green waste, including landscapers and property managers, should deliver to the composting facility. Onsite do-it-yourself shredding and mulching is also an option.
Recycle/dispose via instructions below

Appliances
Large appliances collected by the City, appliance dealers and private refuse haulers are delivered to a metal recycler. Arrange for the appliance dealer to remove your old appliance when they deliver your new one. Place at curb for monthly bulky item pickup. Drop off at City Convenience Centers and Kapaa and Kawailoa Transfer Stations. Metals are banned from disposal. Commercial entities should deliver directly to the recycling facilities. Reuse options are available for functional units.

Autos
All junk autos are recycled. To arrange for free auto junking service for your car, call 532-4325 or go to a Satellite City Hall. To report abandoned autos, call 733-2530.

Batteries
Give your old auto batteries to the dealer when purchasing new ones or you may take them to a City Convenience Center. State law requires the dealer to accept and recycle them. Drop off rechargeable batteries from cell phones, computers and power equipment in special collection boxes at Radio Shack and Home Depot as part of the national RBRC program. Regular household batteries (A, C, D type) can be safely disposed of with your regular refuse collection. Manufacturers no longer use heavy metals in their production.

Cell Phones
Old or obsolete cell phones can be donated to different organizations for reuse or recycling. Many provide pre-paid shipping labels. Ask your service provider if they have a reuse/recycling program.

Christmas Trees
Recycle - see Green Waste.

Computers
Donate old computers and recycle nonfunctional computers. Pacific Commercial, Pacific Environmental Corporation, Philip Services, Enviro Services and Haztech are handling e-waste for a fee. Donate functional computers to the Hawaii Open Source Education Foundation (HOSEF). Call 689-6518 or visit www.hosef.org. Okay to dispose of home computers with regular trash or bulky pickup. Commercial e-scrap (cpu's, monitors, keyboards, mice and televisions) are banned from disposal. Click here to link to the computer recycling information page.

Fluorescent Tubes and CFLs (compact fluorescent lights)
Householders may wrap bulbs in newspaper and dispose of with your regular household rubbish. CFLs only (no tubes) may be taken to the Returns Desk at any Home Depot on Oahu. CFL Recycling kits are available for purchase at www.prepaidrecycling.com. Businesses must consult the State Department of Health at 586-4226 for disposal guidelines as these bulbs qualify as a universal waste.
Metals
Put tin/steel cans in with your household trash. Your residential trash is taken to H-POWER, the City's waste-to-energy plant. Mechanical separators pull ferrous and non-ferrous metals from the trash. The metal is cleaned and sold to a metal recycler. Large metals from commercial generators are banned from City disposal facilities and should be delivered to a metal recycling company. Also see Appliances.
Propane Tanks
Do not dispose in trash. If propane tanks get into H-POWER, they may explode! Take propane tanks a City Convenience Center. Any remaining gas will be removed and the metal container is recycled.
Plastic Bags
Many grocery stores now provide collection boxes for recycling plastic bags. Reuse plastic bags for bagging refuse. Properly dispose by knotting bags before disposal to prevent them from becoming windblown.
Tires
Give your old tires to the dealer when purchasing new ones or you may take them to a City Convenience Center. State law requires the dealer to accept and recycle them. Tires are banned from disposal sites. Commercial generators should deliver to recycling facilities - Unitek. Some recycled products are locally made.
Used Oil
Motor oil, cutting oil or fuel oil can be disposed of with your regular household rubbish. Use an oil change box or pour into a plastic bag with an absorbent material and seal the bag. Commercial generators must handle and dispose of used oil through a recycling company in accordance with EPA and State Dept. of Health guidelines.
Household Refuse
Place refuse at curb for collection or drop off at City Convenience Centers. Make sure your garbage is secured in bags and container lids are closed to keep your neighborhood litter free. Apartment dwellers - follow directions for disposal provided by property management.

Furniture, Mattresses, Carpet
Place at curb for bulky item collection. Drop off at City Convenience Centers, Kapaa and Kawailoa Transfer Stations or the landfill. Commercial entities should deliver directly to the landfill. Reuse options are available.

Rock, Dirt, Concrete
Do not dispose in trash. Not accepted at City Convenience Centers or Transfer Stations. Deliver to the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill (Ewa). Commercial generators are restricted from the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill and can deliver to crushing/recycling facilities or take to the construction and demolition landfill in Nanakuli.

Hazardous Chemicals
See the guidelines for proper handling and disposal of Household Hazardous Waste and call the HHW Info-Line at 768-3201 to schedule an appointment for the next drop-off (held every other month) for those items that require special handling. Limited quantities will be accepted from each householder. Commercial generators must handle and dispose of hazardous material in accordance with EPA and State Dept. of Health guidelines.

Paint
Small quantities generated at home can be disposed of with your regular household rubbish. Latex paints can be hardened in the can, then thrown away. Oil-based paints must be solidified with an absorbent material, such as shredded paper, old rags, or sawdust, then sealed in a plastic bag. An oil change box provides the same results. Commercial generators must handle and dispose of paint in accordance with EPA and State Department of Health guidelines.
© 2005 City & County of Honolulu's Department of Environmental Services.