The County has a residential drop off recycling program called the Kauai Recycles Program. Kauai Recycles bins are located at the Hanalei Transfer Station, in Kapaa at the end of Kahau Road past the Armory, the parking lot behind K-Mart in Lihue, Brenneke’s parking lot in Poipu, the Lawai Post Office, the Eleele shopping center, Waimea Canyon Park, and the Kekaha Landfill. Glass containers, Aluminum Cans, Cardboard, Newspaper, Mixed Paper, and Plastic #1 and #@ are accepted for recycling. Mixed Paper includes white and colored paper, junk mail, envelopes with or without windows, magazines, catalogs, phone books, food boxes, and glossy advertisements. Plastic #1 and Plastic #2 are accepted in the aluminum section of the Kauai Recycles drop bins. The program is for residential use only.

The County also oversees the administration of the State HI 5 Deposit Beverage Container Program, where beverage containers may now be redeemed at redemption centers. See above under Bottle Bill for locations and other questions related to the deposit beverage container program.

The Kauai Resource Center, located near the airport in Lihue is now open!  Please contact Mele Kaui at 241-5112 or Jeannie Yoshida at 241-5120.

Reynolds Recycling in Nawiliwili Harbor offers HI 5 redemption for plastic, glass and aluminum, and also offers scrap value for aluminum cans and non-ferrous metals. They accept non-redemption (non-HI 5) glass and plastic for recycling, but do not pay a scrap value for these items. They are open Tuesday through Saturday 9am – 5pm and closed for lunch between 12 pm – 1:30pm.

• PS&D Tires/Napa Auto Parts accepts any quantity of lead acid batteries, including car batteries, boat batteries, and UPS backup batteries (casing from backup batteries must be removed). Batteries are accepted free of charge at their Lihue store.  If you have 5 or fewer batteries, you can also take them to Kapaa and Hanapepe locations.
• Home Depot in Lihue accepts rechargeable batteries Ion (Li-ion), Small sealed Lead(Pb) that are less than 2 lbs or 1 k.
• All batteries listed above are accepted for recycling at our annual Household Hazardous Waste collection. Call 241-4841 to be put on the list of people to be notified for the upcoming event.

Plastics #1 (beverage containers) and Plastics #2 (milk jugs, shampoo bottles, and laundry detergent bottles) are recyclable at all nine Kauai Recycles bins located around the island. Kauai Recycles bins are for residential collection only. Check the bottom of the container to see if it is the correct type of plastic. REMOVE LIDS, labels are OK. Plastic Bags can be taken back to Foodland in Kapaa & Princeville, Safeway, Wal-Mart for recycling, or dropped off at the Kauai Resource Center near Ahukini Landing for recycling.

Plastic Beverage containers marked with the HI5 symbol are redeemable for cash at any of the Certified Redemption Centers. Call 241-5112 for more information.

There are two companies that can provide shredding and recycling services for confidential records here on Kauai. Please contact these businesses for pricing and further information: Shred-It: (800) 697-4733 & Access Information: (808) 848-7776. These companies are certified, insured, and bonded to accept sensitive documents, they charge a per-pound price for service at a premium due to the necessary insurance and security required to assure that the records are properly shredded and recycled. If the price is prohibitive, we suggest that businesses sort the high security documents and perform internal shredding. Suggested shred width is ¼” or larger. Access Information also offers a quarterly community event where they'll shred a maximum of 10*10*12" boxes per person or business.  For information on how to recycle shredded paper contact the County Recycling Office at 241-4841. 

Kauai united Way accepts donations of cell phones.  Stop by their office at 4374 Kukui Grove St., #201 in the grey office condo across from the movie theater in Lihue.  They're open weekdays from 8:30 to 4:30, call 245-2043.  Verizon Wireless at Kukui Grove Shopping Center has a drop bin for old cell phones, call 245-6654.  Kalaheo School also accepts old cell phones for recycling.  For more information email traci_sullivan@notes.k12.hi.us.

 You may also log onto http://recyclemycellphone.org/recycle.cfm.   Simply fill out your mailing address and a postage-paid cell phone recycling box will be mailed to you.  Cell phone in-box/box in mail/done!

There are several ways to compost in your backyard using hoop wire bins, pallet bins, open piles, burial method, etc. We recommend that you look for reference material in the library, or call the Recycling Office for more information at 241-4837.  Backyard composting units are available locally at The Home Depot, call 632-2740 for more information. 

Residents can take ferrous scrap metal (steel, stainless steel, and iron) to the Puhi Metals Recycling Facility- operated by Abe's Auto Recycling Inc., free of charge. Scrap metal can also be recycled along with appliances at the Hanalei, Kapaa, and Hanapepe Transfer Stations, as well as the Kekaha Landfill.

Puhi Metals is open Monday – Saturday from 8 am to 4 pm. Businesses can also deposit ferrous scarp metal at Puhi Metals for a charge. The rate schedule is posted on the County website or available from Puhi Metals by phone at 632-0697.

Non-ferrous scrap metal (copper and aluminum) from residential and non-residential sources can be recycled at Reynold’s Recycling in Nawiliwili Harbor 245-7233. They are open Tuesday – Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm, closed at lunch from noon to 1:30. Reynolds Recycling pays a fee for these items, call for pricing.

Please call 241-5120 for information on tours and presentations.

Packing peanuts and bubble wrap are accepted for reuse at the Kaua'i Resource Center for reuse. The main building has a swap and drop bin where these materials are also free to people who want to take them for reuse. For the convenience of others picking the items up, packing peanuts are not accepted loose; they must be bagged.  Peanuts and bubble wrap are also accepted for reuse at Business Support Services in Kapaa and at the UPS store in Lihue. Styrofoam blocks are not accepted for reuse at or recycling at this time.

A: The County Recycling Office is participating in the Reuse-A-Shoe program where worn-out athletic shoes can be dropped off at various locations around the island. These locations include The Kaua'i Resource Center on Ahukini Rd. near the airport, the Lihue Civic Center, Moikeha and Piikoi buildings, and Deja Vu Surf in Kukui Grove Shopping Center.  Athletic sports store "Work It Out" in Kapa'a, located at 4-1312 Kuhio Hwy., is offering $10.00 of any pair of running shoes when you turn in an old pair of athletic shoes to be recycled!  Call 822-2292 for more information.

All brands of athletic shoes will be accepted in the Reuse-A-Shoe program except for those containing metal such as steel-toed shoes or those with cleats. Additionally, no slippers, dress shoes, or wet or damp shoes will be accepted in the program.

After the collection period, the recycled shoes will be sent to Nike's recycling facility where a "slice and grind" technique will be employed to split the shoes into three types of Nike Grind materials. Rubber from the outsole are used in track surfaces, interlocking gym flooring tiles and trim items such as buttons and zipper pulls. Foam from the midsole are used as a cushion for outdoor basketball and tennis courts. Material from the upper fabric are used for cushioning pads for indoor basketball and volleyball courts and equestrian surfacing products.

If you have any questions or need more information, please all the County Recycling Office at 241-4841.

Lihue and Hanapepe Transfer Stations are now accepting RESIDENTIALLY generated Used Cooking Oil.  Transfer Stations are open from 7:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. daily, closed on holidays.  There is a limit of 10 gallons per household per month.   The used oil will be processed locally and converted to biodiesel at Kauai Farm Fuels in Hanapepe.  Call the County Recycling Office for more information at 241-4841.

Residents that need to dispose of their medical sharps (syringes/needles) properly may throw it away in their regular trash once contained and sterilized with a small amount of bleach solution (1 part bleach to 10 parts water).  Sharps may be placed in a rigid container with a secure lid prior to placing them in the trash.