Recycling places and
donation alternatives - Hawaii

Newly added/changed (June 2023):

- Updated info for the Kalihi Valley Instructional Bike Exchange.
- Added Cycle Manoa as a bike-recycling option, although the program may currently be on hiatus.
- Added Kupuna Shed as a bike-recycling option.

I am constantly collecting info on various ways to recycle and I still have a bunch more to add. After that I hope to painstakingly go through all of my links to see if the info is still up to date.

This is a list of various places in Hawaii (focusing mainly on Oahu because I live there) that you can go to get rid of your junk around the house, or websites or places you can check for more information, aside from the usual charities (Community Clearinghouse, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc.). This information is taken from various sources. I've also started adding national organizations, especially where there is no local alternative.

Please note that this is a PRIVATE site, created strictly for informational purposes. I am not affiliated with any of the organizations or groups mentioned here and I do not represent or endorse their views, opinions, etc. Also, because this page is updated infrequently, names and phone numbers, other contact information, or websites may be out of date.

Feel free to e-mail me at schala ~~at~~ schala(dot)info with suggestions, or if any links or events are outdated or no longer exist. PLEASE put the words "Hawaii recycling" somewhere in the subject line so I don't delete your message as spam. Thank you!

General recycling/disposal information

• Oahu. Check the city's website, www.opala.org, for information on recycling paper, plastics, cardboard, cans, and more, plus locations of recycling bins and centers.
  
  The City and County of Honolulu instituted islandwide curbside pickup of recyclables in 2010 -- the blue bins that most single-family homes were given. Please read the city's website for what can properly be disposed of in the blue bins. Acceptable items include (but are not limited to) corrugated cardboard, glass jars, and #1 and #2 plastics.
  
  The United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii offers donation pickups. Call their office to see what their needs are.
  
  
• Big Island. Check the Recycle Hawaii website for information on where to go to recycle items.
  
  
• Maui. Check Maui County's website for more information.
  
  Also check the Maui Recycling Group's site for information on various programs they run that you can donate to. Among those programs is Aloha Shares, which accepts items ON MAUI ONLY. They haven't updated their site, but they no longer accept outer isles donations (I asked).
  
  
• Kauai. Check Kauai County's website for more information.
  
  
• Aloha Aina recycling days. These recycling events are held several times a year to benefit various schools and other organizations. A lot of different companies take part, so these events accept a lot of different types of items -- computers, certain electronics, tires, used vehicles, green waste, paper, athletic shoes, even used cooking oil -- which makes them a very handy way to get rid of a lot of junk all at once. You can even arrange for pickup of certain items such as cars if you call the event's organizer in advance. Keep an eye out for events announced in the newspaper or check the city's website for a rough calendar of Aloha Aina days.
  
  
• Check the Earth 911 website for other ways to recycle or donate unwanted items and links to other programs.
  
  
• Almost everything else. Real Simple magazine had an excellent article with a rundown of lots of items and how to recycle -- even crayons, Crocs, and fire extinguishers! Check out the article at this link. Of course, whether that areosol or deodorant container can actually be thrown in the recycling bin depends on your city; make sure to call the appropriate agency first.

Aluminum drink cans, glass beverage bottles, plastic beverage containers

Hawaii instituted a so-called "bottle bill" in January 2005 that charges a 5-cent refundable deposit and a 1-cent nonrefundable program fee for each beverage container sold. Containers that can be returned in this manner will have "HI 5¢" printed on the label or etched into the top or bottom -- it looks something like this or like this. The "HI" may be semi-hidden in the label's list of state names that have similar redemption programs, so look closely.

• To get your 5-cent deposit back, there are recycling centers across the state. Check the state Department of Health website for more information on the program and recycling center locations.
  
  
• Donate your empties to help charitable organizations. Various groups sometimes hold drives for people to drop off cans and bottles, which they will then turn in to recycling centers and claim the 5-cent refund to fund their projects. Check the newspaper or other neighborhood bulletin boards and flyers for information.
  
  
• Oahu residents. These can also be put in the blue bin for curbside pickup. Be warned that you will NOT receive your 5 cents back if you go this route.

Appliances, nonworking

This program may no longer be active. Please email if you can confirm this. Call Honolulu Community College's CENT program to see if it will accept your old appliances. The program may take them for students to put to work repair and electrical skills. The items are then distributed to nonprofit groups. (Taken from a Star-Bulletin story.)

Audio equipment, nonworking

This program may no longer be active. Please email if you can confirm this. Call Honolulu Community College's CENT program to see if it will accept your old appliances. The program may take them for students to put to work repair and electrical skills. The items are then distributed to nonprofit groups. (Taken from a Star-Bulletin story.)

Batteries, rechargable

• A national program recycles these; drop off at special boxes at Home Depot or Radio Shack. Check the city's website for more information on what can be recycled.
  
  
• Best Buy accepts rechargable batteries, along with a whole host of electronic items, as is to be expected. Check their website for information. (The recycling link keeps changing, so if the above link doesn't work, just head over to their main website.)

Batteries, car

Many places that sell car batteries will also accept old ones, which will be recycled. Call your car-parts store to see if they accept batteries.

The city also has convenience centers where you can drop off old batteries. Check the city's website for locations, hours, rules, and other information. (Taken from the Star-Bulletin's Kokua Line)

Bicycles

• Kalihi Valley Instructional Bike Exchange. Follow the instructions on this blog post to donate bikes to K-VIBE, a community program that teaches youths how to fix and maintain bikes and possibly earn one through their work. The program is part of Kokua Kalihi Valley.
  
  
• Donate to Kupuna Shed, which helps seniors socialize and get involved in various activities (focusing mainly on senior men, although women are welcome as well). Bikes donated to their repair program are either given to the needy or are sold to raise funds to run the Shed.
  
  
• This program may be on hiatus. Contact Cycle Manoa, a University of Hawaii club that promotes cycling at UH-Manoa and offers free repairs to UHM students.
  
  
• This program may no longer be active. Please email if you can confirm this. Bring bikes to Waialua High and Intermediate. The students will repair the bikes and give them back to the community. Call the school for more information. (From an article in the Star-Bulletin's Kokua Line.)

Books, magazines

• Books can be donated to the Friends of the Library for them to sell at their huge annual book sale to benefit the state library system. Drop off items at their collection center on Iwaena Street in Halawa. Check the Friends' website for more information. Your donation may be tax-deductible.
  
  
  • Call your local library or school to see if they accept donations of old books.
    
    
  • Donate books to Reader to Reader, which sends books directly to needy schools and libraries. Institutions MUST apply to become book recipients. There are currently no Hawaii participants, but hopefully that will change. (Taken from a Family Circle article)
    
    
  • Books To Prisoners sends books to inmates across the nation. Check their site for needed books.
    
    
  • Books for Soldiers sends books to U.S. troops serving overseas. Before donation, you will have to register and fill out a notarized application for security purposes.
  
  
• Magazines.
  
  
  • Contact your local library to ask if they'll accept magazines, usually either for use in their reading rooms or to give away free to the community; magazines are mainly used by students who need to cut pictures or text for projects. Just make sure your address label has been removed. Your donation may be tax-deductible.
    
    
  • Contact MagazineLiteracy.org to recycle gently used magazines and comics. I'm actually not sure if this organization accepts items from private individuals; you'll need to contact them and ask. Items must have no missing/torn/cut pages.

Bras (brassieres)

Yes, we're talking the undergarments that women wear.

• The Bra Recyclers take new and gently used garments and give them to needy women and girls. Read more about what they accept at this page.
  
  There are no Hawaii dropoff sites, so you will need to send them to the recyclers at your own expense. Secondhand bras must be washed and you need to fill out a form, found on their website, to include with your donation.
  
  
• Send them over to Donate Your Bra. They also accept swimsuits; lingerie including slips, camisoles and similar items; and cancer survivor items such as wigs and prosthetic breast inserts. Your donation is tax-deductible.

Cameras, camcorders, other video equipment

Most of the information below was taken from this blog and others were taken from this article. I know there are lots of recycling venues that support Hawaii charities, so if you know of any, please e-mail me!

• The manufacturer of your paticular piece might have a recycling program.
  
  
  • Canon offers a good mail-in program. I don't know if the local Canon office will accept items for recycling; you might want to call and ask.
    
    
  • Sony has a national recycling program in which you bring your items to a local center. I don't know if the local Sony repair center will accept items for recycling; you might want to call and ask.
  
  
• Recycle for charity. Check the Recycling for Charities site for information.
  
  
• Check the site of the National Center for Electronics Recycling to find a local electronics recycler.
  
  
• Check the Greener Gadgets site for a list of manufacturers to see what your recycling options are.

Cardboard, corrugated

Corrugated cardboard has two thin layers separated by a wavy layer in the center. Most shipping boxes are corrugated; other everyday packaging such as cereal boxes are NOT.

Oahu residents. Corrugated cardboard can be put in the blue bin for curbside pickup. Just make sure to break down boxes first.

Cartons (juice, milk, etc.)

The Carton Council accepts these. You must send items to them at your own expense. First input your ZIP code in the box on the left side -- if you're in Hawaii, it will then say that recycling is not available in your area. Click on the yellow arrow that appears on the bottom of the page, or just scroll down, and you will find instructions on how to mail in your cartons. Items must be empty, dry, have straws removed, and have the caps on. (It doesn't specifically say you need to wash out the cartons, but that would probably be a good idea to do first.)

CDs, DVDs

Send your discs and cases (at your own expense) to the CD Recycling Center. According to their website, they also accept inkjet cartridges, cellphones, small electronics, MP3 players, chargers, floppy disks, computer cables, printer cables, extension cords and Christmas lights; if you want to send in things like that, you should probably contact them first for more information.

Cell phones

• Help the Hawaii Red Cross by signing up and sending phones to GRC Recycling. Register at GRC's site and make sure to name the Hawaii Chapter of the Red Cross. You'll be given prepaid shipping labels after you sign up. GRC says it pays at least 50 cents for every phone, no matter how old.
  
  
• A national program recycles these; drop off at special boxes at Home Depot or Radio Shack.
  
  
• The Wireless Foundation's "Call to Protect" program takes old cell phones and gives them to domestic-abuse victims for use in case of emergency. I'm not sure if this program is still being done here; contact the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence to ask.
  
  
• The national HopeLine program takes old phones and uses them to benefit victims of domestic abuse. Phones can be brought to any Verizon Wireless store nationwide. Visit the website for more information.
  
  
• Retailers, public agencies, and businesses can sign up with Call2Recycle to receive boxes that local consumers can drop their old phones and rechargable batteries in. The boxes are then sent back to Call2Recycle, which pays all shipping and recycling costs. (Taken from a Family Circle article)
  
  
• Check the site of the National Center for Electronics Recycling to find a local electronics recycler.
  
  
• Check the Greener Gadgets site for a list of manufacturers to see what your recycling options are.
  
  
• Send them in (at your own expense) to the CD Recycling Center. You should probably contact them for more info first. In addition to accepting their namesake CDs and DVDs, their website says they also accept inkjet cartridges, small electronics, MP3 players, chargers, floppy disks, computer cables, printer cables, extension cords and Christmas lights.

Christmas and/or greeting cards

There have been a number of "Christmas card ladies" in Hawaii over the years who accept cards to use for craft projects, and currently there are two who fill this need:

• Contact Marilyn Gilbert of Kailua, whose Calvary Chapel Kaneohe church group uses them to decorate shoeboxes filled with basic necessities to send to needy children around the world. Send the fronts of used cards, as well as unused cards with their envelopes, to:
  
  Marilyn Gilbert
  247 Akiohala St.
  Kailua, HI 96734
  
  The group also accepts donations of new stationery, stickers and notepads to use with the shoeboxes. You can email Gilbert at gil.aloha@hawaiiantel.net if you have any questions. (Info taken from a Kokua Line article; subscription required to read)
  
  
• Waipahu Intermediate School teacher Joyce Verduzco is reviving a project that recycles Christmas card fronts into alphabet books for hospitalized and needy children on Oahu. Send to Verduzco via the school at:
  
  Joyce Verduzco
  94-455 Farrington Highway
  Waipahu, HI 96797
  
  (Info taken from a Kokua Line article; subscription required to read)

Clothing

• General. The Kidney Foundation usually makes scheduled stops for unwanted clothing across the island; their trips are announced beforehand by a brightly colored postcard put in your mailbox (you can't miss it). You may also schedule a pickup by visiting their website. Your donation is tax-deductible.
  
  There are also dropoff places and bins throughout the island where you can, well, just drop off your items rather than waiting for the truck to come around. The bins are like postal mailboxes, so it's suggested that you put only nonbreakable items in these bins, and NO cans or bottles. Click here for a list of dropoff locations -- you can filter your search for bins only or other criteria by changing the dropdown menu near the top of the page.
  
  
• Baby clothing.
  
  
  • If you want to make some cash, try bringing your stuff to Caterpillar Kids and selling them. I was told they're very picky about what items they buy, however.
    
    
  • There's now a local affiliate of the Rhea Lana's Children's Consignment Event. Unsold items are usually donated to a charity. (taken from a Star-Bulletin article)
  
  
• Bras / brassieres. Yes, we're talking the undergarments that women wear.
  
  
  • The Bra Recyclers take new and gently used garments and give them to needy women and girls. Read more about what they accept at this page. There are no Hawaii dropoff sites, so you will need to send them to the recyclers at your own expense. Secondhand bras must be washed and you need to fill out a form, found on their website, to include with your donation.
    
    
  • Send them over to Donate Your Bra. They also accept swimsuits; lingerie including slips, camisoles and similar items; and cancer survivor items such as wigs and prosthetic breast inserts. Your donation is tax-deductible.
  
  
• Coats. Check out One Warm Coat, which collects coats and redistributes them within the community. Take note that OWC helps set up coat drives for organizations; they do NOT collect the coats themselves. Granted, we probably won't be holding a coat drive in Hawaii anytime soon, but the site does have a list of organizations around the nation that are looking for coats. You may be able to ship your coat to a needy group. (Taken from a Family Circle article)
  
  
• Fur clothing. Hey, never know, there are probably lots of newcomers to Hawaii who still have fur clothes. Anyway, send these off to the Humane Society of the United States for their Coats for Cubs program for comforting orphaned and injured animals. You might also want to try calling the Hawaiian Humane Society to see if they could use fur clothes or old towels for their animals.
  
  
• Jeans and denim items. Mail jeans or other denim items (at your own expense) to Blue Jeans Go Green, where the material will be recycled into insulation for homes. This initiative partners with Habitat for Humanity, so you might want to contact the national or local Habitat office to see if they will also accept denim items directly.
  
  
• Men's work clothes. The national charity Career Gear MIGHT accept men's clothing; but so far, I haven't seen anything on their site that says so. They don't have a local affiliate, so you'd have to mail clothing donations to them (if they do indeed accept such items).
  
  
• Ties, neckties.
  
  
  • Send them at your own expense to Ties that Matter, which creates fashion and home accessories out of donated ties. I don't know if they accept bowties; contact them and ask. Learn more about the company and their community works at this page.
    
    
  • You can also send them (again at your own expense) to Prairie Moon Quilts, which uses them to make quilts that are then donated to charities.
  
  
• Prom, cocktail, formal dresses.
  
  
  • The so-far only Hawaii chapter of Becca's Closet on Maui accepts donations of prom dresses and accessories. Check the chapter's website for contact information, or try calling King Kekaulike High School on Maui. Your donation is tax-deductible.
    
    
  • The Bella Project provides dresses to girls in need statewide. They also accept shoes, makeup and formal accessories. Check their site for partner dropoff sites (as of April 17, 2014, they were partnered with Tea at 1024, Verde Kaimuki, and My Girlfriend's Closet), or you can bring them to dress drives that are held occasionally throughout the year. Check out their Facebook page or keep an eye out for announcements in the paper. Your donation may be tax-deductible.
  
  
• Wedding dresses. Donate these to national charities. None of them have any local offices, so you will have to ship them at your own expense. Check each charity's website for more details.
  
  
  • Brides Against Breast Cancer Nationwide Tour of Gowns. Dresses provided by women and bridal shops are sold for a fraction of their cost.
  • I Do Foundation. Donated gowns are sold through a consignment shop. The bride selects a charity to receive 20 percent of the sale price; another percentage goes to support the foundation's work.
  • Mary Madeline Project. Volunteers use wedding dresses to sew outfits for stillborn babies and those who die soon after birth.
  • Mitzvah Messenger Project (the corresponding links are on the left side of the page). Donated dresses are given to needy brides in Israel.
  
  
• Women's work clothes. Bring these to the Honolulu Dress for Success program. Drop off clothes at the YWCA on Richards Street. They also accept other feminine items like unused cosmetics, unused undergarments, new nylons/pantyhose, bags, and dress shoes. Your donation is tax-deductible.
  
  
  • The Women's Alliance also accepts donations of women's work clothing and accessories. There's no local affiliate, however; if you'd like to donate your items to them, you'll have to mail them off.

Computers and computer-related items, nonworking

• As a first step, check the manufacturer's website to see if they run a recycling program and what their rules are. Some manufacturers include:
  
  • Dell (I have the feeling this link will change, so if it doesn't work, search for "recycle" on their site)
  • Hewlett-Packard (HP)
  • IBM
  
  
• Island Recycling accepts nonfunctioning computers. They have several locations; check their website for contact information and hours. (According to their site, they actually take a lot more than just scrap metal, so you might be able to bring a whole variety of items to them for recycling. Call them and ask.)
  
  
• Big Island residents. Recycle Hawaii has started a "CompuCycle" event to which you can bring computers and computer-related equipment (NO stereo equipment, appliances or TVs accepted). Computers are refurbished and then made available to schools and nonprofit groups. Check your local newspapers for ads on when the next dropoff will be held, or check Recycle Hawaii's website. Your donation is tax-deductible.
  
  
• Check the site of the National Center for Electronics Recycling to find a local electronics recycler.
  
  
• Check the Greener Gadgets site for a list of manufacturers to see what your recycling options are.
  
  
• Apple Inc. runs a recycling program that accepts both Macs and PCs. Apple products are recycled for free; non-Apple items are accepted for a $30 fee. Check their website for more info.
  
  
• Best Buy, as you might expect, accepts computers, along with a whole host of various electronics (and appliances!) including rechargable batteries, cellphones, cameras, car equipment, GPS devices, video game electronics and more. Check their website for information. (The recycling link keeps changing, so if the above link doesn't work, just head over to their main website.)

Computers and computer-related items, working

• As a first step, check the manufacturer's website to see if they run a recycling program and what their rules are. Some manufacturers include:
  
  • Dell (I have the feeling this link will change, so if it doesn't work, search for "recycle" on their site)
  • Hewlett-Packard (HP)
  • IBM
  
  
• According to the Star-Bulletin's Kokua Line: The city Office of Economic Development is in the process of setting up a one-stop Web site, Kidsdotcom, where people can get information about where and how to donate computers. I haven't heard any more about this effort since then; if you have more information, please let me know.
  
  In the meantime, Hawaii Computer For Kids works to put computers in public school classrooms. Call Helping Hands Hawaii (843-8473); Computer-Aided Technologies International (521-2259 or e-mail cfk@catii.com); or contact any member of the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Honolulu.
  
  
• Try to call any school in your area to see if they take computer donations.
  
  
• Big Island residents. Recycle Hawaii has started a "CompuCycle" event to which you can bring computers and computer-related equipment (NO stereo equipment, appliances or TVs accepted). Computers are refurbished and then made available to schools and nonprofit groups. Check your local newspapers for ads on when the next dropoff will be held, or check Recycle Hawaii's website. Your donation is tax-deductible.
  
  
• Find a local organization in need at the National Cristina Foundation. You'll need to fill out a form describing what you're donating, and NCF will try to match your request with a local group. You can also donate monitors, printers, and many other computer-related items.
  
  
• Check the site of the National Center for Electronics Recycling to find a local electronics recycler.
  
  
• Check the Greener Gadgets site for a list of manufacturers to see what your recycling options are.
  
  
• Apple Inc. runs a recycling program that accepts both Macs and PCs. Apple products are recycled for free; non-Apple items are accepted for a $30 fee. Check their website for more info.
  
  
• Best Buy, as you might expect, accepts computers, along with a whole host of various electronics (and appliances!) including rechargable batteries, cellphones, cameras, car equipment, GPS devices, video game electronics and more. Check their website for information. (The recycling link keeps changing, so if the above link doesn't work, just head over to their main website.)

Corks, wine

First of all, corks must be made of NATURAL cork and not plastic. (Natural cork is made from the bark of a tree.) I don't know if other cork material (such as corkboards, cork in shoes, etc.) is accepted; you might want to call and ask.

I'm putting this here with a caveat: Whole Foods Market locations MIGHT accept them. According to a 2010 press release, Whole Foods partnered with Cork ReHarvest to accept corks at all their locations (supposedly) in the U.S., Canada and United Kingdom. However, I called both the Kailua and Kahala locations on Oahu and both of them said they don't accept corks. I did not call the Maui location. They may very well implement this program in the future, so you might want to call them first. (info last updated 4/17/2014)

Electronics (non-computer)

• Check the site of the National Center for Electronics Recycling to find a local electronics recycler.
  
  
• Check the Greener Gadgets site for a list of manufacturers to see what your recycling options are.

Eyeglasses

• Drop them off at Lenscrafters; there will usually be a collection box somewhere in the store. Lenses will be used to make eyeglasses for children in poor countries.
  
  
• Local Lions Clubs accept glasses at various locations; click here for a list.

Foam, styrofoam (polystyrene foam)

Polystyrene foam is usually those big pieces of foam used to pad big boxes for appliances, TVs, computers, computer monitors, and other large items. A Kapolei business -- Pacific Allied Products -- is named by the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers as a foam recycler. Be sure to call first to see if they still accept it and what exactly they take back.

If not, the alliance does offer a mailback program. Check the above link for details.

Glass jars, containers (non-beverage)

Oahu residents. These can be put in the blue bin for curbside pickup. Glass beverage containers (soda bottles, beer bottles, etc.) with the "HI-5" designation can also be put in the blue bin, or you can redeem them at a recycling center to get back your 5-cent deposit.

Gold, jewelry

Aside from selling to a pawn shop or other business that will melt the gold for reuse, you can send it in to websites that will reuse the gold to make new jewelry for you. These sites are listed ONLY for your convenience. I have NOT utilized any of these sites and I cannot give any guarantee as to their quality. In alphabetical order:

• Brilliant Earth - brilliantearth.com
• Celtic Jewelry - celticjewelry.com
• Green Oro - greenoro.com

Ink cartridges (for printers), laser toner cartridges

• Recycle through Costco's program. You don't turn them int to a store, but you can download and print prepaid shipping labels and send back the cartridges through UPS.
  
  
• Recycle your empty inkjet carts (toner is NOT accepted) to benefit the Three Ring Ranch Exotic Animal Sanctuary on the Big Island. They recycle through a program called Empties4Cash. You'll need to email Three Ring Ranch and they'll put you in contact with Empties 4 Cash, which will send you either prepaid boxes or prepaid labels for you to send in your carts. They request at least 10 to 15 carts at a time, so start collecting from friends and coworkers too!
  
  
• Join the Office Depot/Office Max recycling rewards program and you can get cash back when you turn in cartridges, but ONLY if you also make a $10 qualifying purchase in the same month. It might be a good deal if you shop there often. Click here for more information on the program.

Keys

Send your unwanted keys (at your own expense) to Keys for Kids to help fund their programs to benefit youths. Scroll down on the main page to find their mailing address.

Light bulbs

Home Depot has a recycling program that accepts CFL bulbs and even old incandescent holiday lights. I don't know where exactly you have to go in the store; call your nearest location and ask.

Linens, towels

Contact the Humane Society of the United States to see if they can use old towels and linens to help comfort orphaned and injured animals. You might also want to try calling the Hawaiian Humane Society to see if they could use such items as well.

Musical instruments

Contact Hungry For Music, which refurbishes instruments and distributes them to needy children. Particularly valuable instruments are resold and the money used to purchase new instruments to give to kids. It has no local chapter, so you will have to ship your items to them. (Taken from a Family Circle article)

Packing peanuts

• UPS Stores may take them for recycling. Call the one nearest to you for more details.
  
  
• Call the Plastic Loose Fill Council’s Peanut Hotline at 800-828-2214 for where to recycle. Check their website for more information.

Paper, newspaper

• Oahu residents. Paper can be put in the blue bin for curbside pickup.

Phone books, phone directories

Rather than simply bringing these to a city recycling bin, you can also help local schools by waiting for Verizon Hawaii's yearly phone-directories recycling drive. All phone directories are accepted, not just Verizon's. This drive is in the form of a school contest -- the schools who turn in the most books win cash awards. This contest usually occurs around September; check your newspapers for announcements.

Plastic grocery bags

Since the city instituted a plastic bag ban in 2016 (and which will only get tougher in the future), you might want to hang on to any you have left to line trash cans and put your dog messes in. But if you're determined to get rid of your remaining stash, here are some options:

• Bring them to any Safeway store. I'm not sure exactly what you have to do with them; call your local Safeway and ask. The Kapolei Safeway does have a recycling bin right by the front door that you can shove plastic bags into. Just please make sure the bags don't fly out of the bin and become litter.
  
  
• I've heard that Longs Drugs recycles bags. If someone knows more details of this, please e-mail me.

Plastics

• A company called Preserve will take your #5 plastics through its "Gimme 5" program and turn them into practical products such as toothbrushes, colanders and cutting boards. Items MUST have the number "5" in the three-arrow recycling icon. You pay shipping to the company; find their address on this page. Certain Whole Foods locations are also Gimme 5 redemption locations, but so far the Kahala Mall store is not. Perhaps we can request that they join in?
  
  If you're interested in buying Preserve's products, you can also do so at their website.
  
  
• Oahu residents. Plastics with #1 or #2 can be put in the blue bin for curbside pickup. You can also bring your plastic beverage bottles (they must have the "HI-5" symbol on it) such as water bottles, tea and juice bottles, etc. to redemption centers to get a refund on your 5-cent deposit. If you put your HI-5 containers in the blue bin, you will NOT get your deposit back; you'll essentially be donating that to the state.
  
  
• Plastic bottle caps/lids: According to this MidWeek story, you can drop off #2, #4 and #5 plastic caps and lids at the Wahiawa Goodwill store for recycling. It's one of four Goodwill sites serving as collection points. Note that this story appeared in 2010 and so the program may no longer be active; try calling your nearest location or their main office to ask.
  
  
• Aveda products. According to their website, any Aveda product packaging that's not recyclable locally can be taken into what they call an "Aveda Experience Center" and dropped off into a "Full Circle" recycling bin. Aveda does have several Hawaii locations listed, but they're all in spas, so I don't know what access will be like or if they even have such a recycling bin. Find your nearest location on their website and call to ask.

Scanners, computer

The manufacturer may have a recycling program.

• Dell offers free recycling if you order equipment from them. Click here for a form.
  
  
• Epson has a recycling program if you have any of their equipment, whether you make a purchase or not. Contact them for a prepaid label to use to send in your items. Click here for information. Caveats: You have to create an online account with Epson before you can send in items. Also, I tried using their online form and it kept giving me an error, even after I had signed up and logged in. I contacted their customer service, and they said to email them my mailing address, and a few days later I received my prepaid label.

Shoes, athletic

Please be sure to CLEAN any shoes before donating!

• Runners HI, at 98-390A Kamehameha Highway in Aiea (located in the Go Bananas store near Dixie Grill), accepts shoes. The guy there told me that shoes in better condition will be given to needy people. Call to ask if they have a limit on how many pairs of shoes they can accept at one time.
  
  NOTE: Runners HI also has a second location, in Waipio near the Costco Wholesale building. It's in a small building that's sort of across the way from where the UPS Store and Starbucks are located. You can also drop off shoes there.
  
  
• Shoes are sometimes accepted at Aloha Aina recycling days. Check the newspaper or the city's website for a rough calendar of events. There's usually a PDF posted online for each event with a list of items they'll be accepting.

Smoke alarms

Curie Services takes smoke alarms. You must send to them at your own expense. Their system is a little confusing to me because I have no knowledge of what's inside a smoke alarm, but it requires you to calculate the total activity of Americium-241 (Am-241) of whatever you want to ship. In any case, take a look at their website for more info.

Vehicles (cars, trucks, vans, etc.)

• Contact Catholic Charities Hawaii. Vehicles do not have to be in working condition.
  
  
• Contact the Hawaii chapter of the Kidney Foundation. Vehicles do not have to be in working order, but there are some older models they will not accept if they are not working. Check their website for more information.

Miscellaneous

• You might want to check for local groups that facilitate freecycling. You can offer practically anything you've got, working or nonworking condition, like-new or beat-up. There's no guarantee that someone will take you up on your offer, but it's worth a shot, and it's a way to keep large items out of our fast-filling landfills for at least a little while longer. The main stipulation is that items must be FREE -- hence the word "freecycle."
  
  There used to be many more freecycling groups on Yahoo Groups, but most of the ones I used to have listed no longer exist on YG, including the original one on Oahu. Some of them have moved over to freecycle.org, so you might want to look through there. You can also try searching through YG or Facebook to link up with freecyclers.
  
  
  • FreecycleCentralOahu (covering central Oahu, generally from Wheeler to Aiea; other towns may be included)
  • MauiHIFreecycle
  • KauaiFreecycle
  
  
• Check the City and County of Honolulu's recycling site for items such as car oil, large appliances, and other stuff that you simply want to trash rather than recycle.
  
  
• Almost everything else. Real Simple magazine had an excellent article with a rundown of lots of items and how to recycle -- even crayons, Crocs, and fire extinguishers! Check out the article at this link. Of course, whether that areosol or deodorant container can actually be thrown in the recycling bin depends on your city; make sure to call the appropriate agency first.

The usual charities

• Aloha Aina recycling days. These recycling events are held several times a year to benefit various schools and other organizations. A lot of different companies take part, so these events accept a lot of different types of items -- computers, certain electronics, tires, used vehicles, green waste, paper, athletic shoes, even used cooking oil -- which makes them a very handy way to get rid of a lot of junk all at once. You can even arrange for pickup of certain items such as cars if you call the event's organizer in advance. Keep an eye out for events announced in the newspaper or check the city's website for a rough calendar of Aloha Aina days.
  
  
• Community Clearinghouse. They accept items like clothes, toys, and furniture and distribute directly to needy families, which makes this my No. 1 charity to go to when I have stuff to donate. Their warehouse is located along Nimitz Highway near Sand Island Access Road. They work under the auspices of Helping Hands Hawaii and usually put out special calls for donations during the holidays. Check the Helping Hands Hawaii website for details.
  
  
• The Kidney Foundation. The Hawaii (Oahu) chapter of the National Kidney Foundation mails out brightly colored flyers every so often saying that their truck will be on your street on a certain date to pick up donations of clothing and HI-5 recyclables. Great if you don't have the time to drive down to a particular charity and drop off items; however, what they do is take your stuff and resell them (to Savers, so I've been told). Personally, I'd rather donate to a place that gives items directly to families, but the Kidney Foundation is a worthy cause nonetheless. Keep an eye out for the flyer in your mailbox.
  
  
• Salvation Army. Accepts large items such as furniture, but must be in good condition because they will be resold (We once tried to donate a couch, but they wouldn't accept it because the ends of the arm cushions were torn.) Call you nearest store for pickup and more info.
  
  
• Big Brothers Big Sisters. Check the Honolulu chapter's website for information.
  
  
• Goodwill. Because this is a reseller, they work under restrictions similar to the Salvation Army. Check their guidelines for more info.
  
  
• Savers. Another reseller that supports local nonprofit organizations. They have several stores in Hawaii. Check their website for info.

---

Feel free to e-mail me at schala ~~at~~ schala(dot)info with additions, corrections, or other suggestions for this page. PLEASE put the words "Hawaii recycling" somewhere in the subject line so I don't delete your message as spam. Thank you!

Go to my homepage