Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find my refuse and recycling collection schedule?
Collection schedules are available online on this website. There is a direct link to your collection schedule on the “Quick Links” or go to View Your Cart Collection Schedule and type your address.
What if my automated cart has been damaged or stolen?
Damaged carts should be reported to your local collection yard. Our supervisors can often repair broken wheels or lid hinges; otherwise, the cart will be replaced. Carts must be empty in order for supervisors to repair or replace them. Report a stolen cart first to the Honolulu Police Department. When you have the police report number, call your local collection yard for a replacement cart.
How do I report a missed trash or recycling collection?
Check the cart for our tag. It may have been blocked by a parked car, too bulky or heavy, contain the wrong type of material or uncollectible for some other reason. Improperly prepared or inaccessible refuse will be picked up on your next collection day, when the reason for non-collection has been corrected. If there is no tag, leave the cart at the curb and report it to your local collection yard.
I'm cleaning out the garage and have a lot of refuse to get rid of right away. Where can I dispose of it?
City transfer stations and convenience centers will accept rubbish delivered by residents free of charge. The limitations are: two loads per customer per day; passenger cars, vans, or pickup trucks only (no trailers, flatbeds, dump trucks, or commercial vans). You may also be asked to segregate certain materials at the disposal site for recycling.
What do I do with paint, motor oil, car batteries, and other household hazardous wastes?
Paint and motor oil must be completely dried with absorbent material to prevent spills before being placed in your rubbish for regular collection. Car batteries should be turned in where you bought the new one or delivered to a convenience center or transfer station. Other household hazardous wastes may require special handling. Visit the household hazardous waste page on this site for more information.
How do I recycle my Christmas tree?
First, consider artificial or live potted trees that won’t require disposal or recycling. If you go with a cut tree, please recycle. Island residents can choose curbside collection in the green cart or drop-off at city refuse convenience centers. Condos and commercial buildings can deliver large loads of trees directly to composting facilities–there will be no charge for Christmas trees, courtesy of the city.
My family generates more rubbish than will fit in the automated cart. Can I get another?
Yes, additional refuse carts are possible if the volume of non-recyclable refuse from your household consistently exceeds the capacity of the cart. Mixed recyclables and green waste must be sorted out to the blue and green carts, and the remaining refuse should be reasonably compacted to make best use of space. To confirm need, a refuse supervisor will monitor your gray cart for a period of weeks to assess the volume and check for recyclables. You may request to have your household’s refuse monitored by calling (808) 768-3200 – the first step required in getting an additional gray cart. First, consider artificial or live potted trees that won’t require disposal or recycling. If you go with a cut tree, please recycle. Island residents can choose curbside collection in the green cart or drop-off at city refuse convenience centers. Condos and commercial buildings can deliver large loads of trees directly to composting facilities–there will be no charge for Christmas trees, courtesy of the city.
Can I refill my cart with excess rubbish/recyclables, push it across the street, and have it emptied a second time when the refuse truck returns to service neighbors?
Strictly speaking, a driver is required to empty a cart only once each collection day. Second pickups could drastically lengthen a driver’s work day when refuse volume is large. It is therefore left to a driver’s discretion whether to accommodate second pickups. Otherwise, you must hold the excess until the next collection day. There are also recycling and disposal alternatives to be considered to reduce the amount of excess. And if your household frequently generates excess rubbish, green waste, or mixed recyclables, you may qualify for another cart (see the two previous FAQs).
Where are the HI-5 redemption centers located?
Updated locations and hours of operation are posted on the Hawai‘i Department of Health website.
Are recycling containers available for our program?
The city offers wheeled recycling carts to non-profit organizations and condominium properties to support the collection of recyclable materials. The city also offers 40-cubic yard recycling fundraiser bins. Visit our Learning Center page under Resources to learn about the ClearRecycle containers offered by the city.
Is it possible to visit H-POWER and other recycling facilities on the island?
The city coordinates public tours of O‘ahu’s waste processing and recycling facilities. Tour de Trash offers a series of full-day tours that allow you to get an up-close look at our island’s waste and recycling operations and a peek behind the “employees only” doors at local businesses that have instituted successful recycling programs. You can sign up for a tour by calling (808) 768-3200. For tour descriptions and schedules go visit our Tour de Trash page. The tours are very popular and book quickly.
How can I schedule a bulky item pickup?
Appointments can be made online on this website. There is a direct link on the “Quick Links” page or go to Make a Bulky Appointment and type in your address. If you need assistance, call (808) 768-3200.
A neighbor puts their trash, carts, or bulky items out days before it is collected or leaves them out continuously. When can containers or items be put out?
Refuse, whether it is household trash, mixed recyclables, green waste, or bulky items such as appliances and furniture, should be set out at the curb no earlier than the evening before the scheduled collection day. Refuse containers, including automated collection carts, must be returned to the resident’s property after they have been emptied. Only specifically authorized automated collection customers may permanently store their carts in the public right-of-way. Report infractions to Refuse Inspectors at (808) 768-5220.
How do I report a missed bulky item collection?
If you had scheduled your bulky item appointment and the correct items listed in your appointment were out prior to 6:00 a.m. of your appointment day and your items were not collected, contact the Refuse division by emailing collection@honolulu.gov or by calling (808) 768-3200. Crews have the capability to take pictures to document the outcome of each pickup or appointment.
Why is the convenience center gate sometimes closed during the day?
How do I get rid of my old computer (and other electronic waste)? Are there recycling options?
Numerous recycling and reuse options are listed on our e-waste page. Hawai‘i state law requires electronics manufacturers to develop and finance take-back programs. Starting in January 2010, the law applied to computers and expanded to include televisions in 2011. Disposal of e-waste is banned for commercial and government, under regulations established by the EPA. Those regulations do not apply to households, thereby allowing collection and disposal with your regular trash or bulky pickup.
My family has a large yard and/or recycles a lot of material. How can I get an additional green or blue cart?
Please call (808) 768-3200 to request additional recycling carts. Refuse Division staff will ask a few questions to process your request and to confirm your household’s need of the additional carts. Additional green carts can be issued based upon the square footage of your property. Additional blue carts based upon a description of the types and volumes of mixed recyclables. The household must be making use of all available recycling collection days.
I live in an area that does not have curbside recycling. Where can I take household recyclables?
Drop-off recycling centers for HI-5 containers and other non-deposit material are located around the island. For more information, view our Recycling Centers page.
Why aren’t more types of paper and plastic collected in the City’s curbside recycling program?
The low-grade, low-value plastics and paper, including the number 3-7 plastics, junk mail, cereal boxes, magazines and telephone books, provide greater benefit in local energy production than in shipping to distant markets to be made into new products. Our H-POWER waste-to-energy facility currently produces seven (7) percent of O‘ahu’s electricity, contributing to our island’s energy sustainability. We target the high-value materials for recycling and designate the lower value to waste-to-energy. Both divert the waste from the landfill to beneficial use.
Where can we get assistance to coordinate a recycling fundraiser?
The HI-5 beverage container deposit program provides opportunities for schools or non-profit organizations to raise significant funds through collection drives. The city can provide collection containers, banners and lists of recycling companies and collectors who are interested in working with you. Call (808) 768-3200 or go to Recycling Fundraisers.
I'm working on a recycling research project for school. Where can I find information and get assistance?
You are already here. Our website contains a wealth of information on recycling and waste composition data, master planning studies and reports, and descriptions of recycling programs and operations. Photos, graphics, video clips, music, and an archive of local and national news stories on waste and recycling can be obtained by contacting us. City recycling staff are available to answer questions and help you focus your topic. Call (808) 768-3200.