Recycling & Waste

Residents and visitors to Kauaʻi should consider taking extra effort to tread lightly and minimize impact on this small island. Here's a primer on trash and recycling services in Kauaʻi. The picture on the right is not exactly attractive but the point is we all need to work hard to minimize contributing waste.

Refuse

Weekly trash pickup is provided curbside throughout the island paid for through property taxes. Smart move I think not to separately bill for trash service as it shares the cost and is more efficient than having another billing system to deal with.

Obviously the less trash the better: recycling, reuse, and anything to reduce refuse is critical here because the Kekaha Municipal Solid Waste Landfill (MSWLF) is nearly at capacity, expected to reach capacity this year. The county is in the process of planning an expansion which is both clearly needed but of course it is challenging balancing the need against the local impact.

Reuse

There are many second hand stores on the island that accept donations of usable goods, sold for a good cause. 

Recycle

Recycling requires more effort - you have to sort things and take them to one of the local recycling centers (map below).

• glass containers
• metal: aluminum and steel cans, foil, pie & food pans
• cardboard
• newspaper 
• paper: any color paper, junk mail, ads, envelopes, magazines, catalogs, food boxes
• plastic #1
• plastic #2

Also recycle many other things at the Kauaʻi Resource Center located in Lihue near the airport which handles these and many other categories of waste. Full details of all they accept and how it works are listed in the FAQ including batteries, oil, packing materials, electronics, hazardous waste, and much more.

Here is a map of where you can take recyclables:

Kauaʻi recycling map

I have only run into one vacation rental that provided recycling containers - one for each of the several different kinds of recyclables - which was the highest end I have stayed at. Also the Inn Waimea provided one recycle container, otherwise you may be on your own. Since the Kauai Resource Center [3460 Ahukini Rd, Lihue, HI 96766] is near the airport visitors might consider dropping off your recyclables on your way to catching your flight home.