The County has a residential drop off recycling program called the Kauai Recycles Program. Kaua'i Recycles bins are located at the Hanalei Transfer Station, in Kapa'a 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 & Steel cans(including foil, pie & food pans and 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.

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.

Appliances from RESIDENTIAL sources can be dropped for recycling free of charge at any County Refuse Transfer Station except in Lihue. Appliances include refrigerators, washers, dryers, microwaves, stoves, water heaters, air conditioners, etc.. If you’re in the Lihue area, you must take your appliance to the Puhi Metals Recycling Facility- operated by Resource Recovery Solutions, LLC., located on the right side of the street on Puhi Road past the industrial area. The facility is open Mon.-Sat. 8:00am – 4:00pm; phone – 245-6919. Appliances from commercial sources must be taken to Puhi, where they will be assessed a small disposal fee of approximately $10 - $20. Mechanical fluids and refrigerants do not need to be drained from appliances. Please remove all food items prior to recycling. Note: Usable appliances could be donated to a thrift store and repairable appliances could be taken to Recycled Appliances, call Tashi at 823-0949.

Propane tanks with VALVES INTACT ONLY are accepted from residents free of charge at the Hanalei Transfer Station, Kapaa Transfer Station, Lihue Transfer Station, and Hanapepe Transfer Station. All tanks without valves should be taken to Puhi Metals Recycling Facility.  Tanks smaller than 5 gallons are not accepted and may be disposed in the regular trash. Tanks larger than 20 gallons (40 pounds) are not accepted.  Home Depot offers a discount on a new tank if you bring your old tank in for recycling. Call for details at 632-2740.

Commercial haulers are required to dispose of depressurized tanks at the Puhi Metals Recycling Facility. Propane Tanks of all sizes are accepted at the Puhi Metals Facility if, and only if, the valve has been removed so that it can be visually determined that there are absolutely no fluids contained within the cylinder. Please refer to the Yellow Pages under the heading "Gas-Liquefied Petroleum Bottled and Bulk Retail," for companies that can perform the service of depressurizing propane tanks.

Gaspro accepts old tanks for recycling if you purchase a new tank from them.  Call 245-6766 for more information.

If the paint is still in good condition and more than half full, you can donate it for reuse to Habitat for Humanity in Hanapepe. They can be reached at 335-6105. If it is dried up, it can be thrown in your regular trash. If it is Latex paint, old and in liquid form, it is non-toxic and must be thrown in the regular trash once it is solidified. To solidify the paint, pour it onto newspaper or cardboard in a well-ventilated area and let dry, or absorb the paint using shredded newspaper, kitty litter, or shredded rags. If the paint is Oil Based, old and in liquid form, it can be taken to our annual Household Hazardous Waste collection event (call the County Recycling Office to be added to contact list at 241-4841), or disposed in the regular trash like latex paint once solidified. Old paint cans can be taken to Puhi Metals Recycling Facility- operated by Resource Recovery Solutions, LLC. to be recycled.

Motor oil is accepted at all County Refuse Transfer Stations and at the Kekaha landfill. Motor oil should be transported in a clean container with a lid. Motor oil recycling containers are available from the County for free (see below). This program is for residents only. A maximum of 5-gallons per household per month is accepted. Please complete the sign-in form when depositing motor oil. Acceptable products include crankcase oil, gear oil, transmission oil, power steering oil, diesel fuel and lubricating oil. Unacceptable products include thinners, gasoline, carburetor cleaners, brake cleaners, brake fluids, solvents, anti-freeze, and PCB oil. If you know your motor oil is contaminated with water or other products, please tell the attendant at the transfer station so that it can be deposited with contaminated oil.

Motor Oil Filter Recycling: After draining your motor oil from your vehicle, take your old motor oil filter to any of the County Refuse Transfer Stations to be recycled!  Filter recycling is important because each filter contains residual oils that can leech into the landfill if not recycled!

Go to the County Recycling Office located at 4444 Rice St. Suite #295 located in the Moikeha Building.  The office is open Monday – Friday between 7:45 am– 4:30pm. (Closed on all major holidays) Please be reminded that once the container is full of recycled oil, you can transport the used oil to any of the County Refuse Transfer Stations. The recycling locations will be listed on the container. The container is reusable, so once you empty your oil at the DIY collection center at the Transfer Station, you should continue to use the same recycling jug. Motor oil FILTERS can also be recycled at any of the Transfer Stations.

The County of Kaua'i is now offering a year round household battery recycling collection program!   TERMINALS OF BATTERIES 9 VOLTS AND HIGHER MUST BE TAPED BEFORE RECYCLING!  Batteries must be separated into three different categories:  Dry Cell (Alkaline), Lithium, and NiCad.  Batteries will be accepted at the Kaua'i Resource Center in Lihue located at 3460 Ahukini Rd. near the airport.  Three separate drums with pictures are provided at the collection location.  Battery collection is offered Monday-Friday from 7:45 am to 4:15 pm; closed on all holidays and weekends.  The collection drums are located inside the main building.  Car batteries and UPS backup batteries are NOT accepted.  This program is for residents ONLY.  Commercially generated batteries will not be accepted.  For more information on battery recycling call 241-4841. 

• 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.
• Mauai Tire Recycling, Brendan Halton call  (808) 357-3241 for information on battery recycling and disposal.
• 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, etc.) are recyclable at any of the  Kaua'i Recycles drop bins. (Hanalei Transfer Station, Kapa'a at the end of Kahau Rd., Lihue behind KMart, Poipu in the Brennecke's Beach Broiler parking lot, Lawai behind the Lawai Post Office, Ele'ele next to the McDonalds parking lot, Waimea next to Waimea Canyon Park, and the Kekaha Landfill) located around the island. Kaua'i Recycles drop bins are for residential collection only. Check the bottom of the container to see if it is the correct type of plastic (#1/#2). REMOVE LIDS, labels are OK. Plastic Bags can be taken back to Foodland in Princeville.

Plastic Beverage containers marked with the HI5 symbol are redeemable for cash at any of the Certified Redemption Centers. Call 241-5120 for more information.

Colored Paper, white paper, junk mail, magazines, catalogs, food boxes, phone books, envelopes, soda boxes, etc. are accepted in the “Mixed Paper” bin at all the Kauai Recycles drop bins – materials must be from a residential source. There is a deposit slot on the bin to place your papers in. The deposit slot is sized to reduce contamination.

Shredded paper with a ¼” shred width or more is recyclable through the Kauai Recycles program. Shredded paper must be bagged, and placed in the Newspaper section of the Kauai Recycles bins. Composting is also a great way to “recycle” shredded paper, especially paper that has a shred width that is less than ¼”. Shredded paper is a good source of carbon, which is the main ingredient to a compost pile. Residents are eligible to receive a free Earth Machine Composting Bin through the County Recycling Office by calling 241-4841 to schedule an appointment to watch a 20 min. video.

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: (808) 631-1169 & 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. 

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.  Place cell phone in box, mail off box!

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 241-4990.  Backyard composting units are available locally at The Home Depot, call 632-2740 for more information. 

The County sponsors an annual collection event to dispose of hazardous wastes generated by residents.

FREE HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE EVENT!

Collection is for RESIDENTS only, commercial and institutional waste is not accepted. 

Please contact Emily Medeiros at 241-4841 to be added to a list to contact for the next event, or sign up online at: http://www.kauai.gov/HouseholdHazWasteSignUp to receive an email notification.  Please do not bring latex paint to the events, as it is not toxic and will not be accepted. If you need to dispose of non-flammable items right away, it is acceptable (but not preferable) that they be thrown in the regular trash as long as they are in a container that is secure. Any type of paint must in a dried state prior to placement in trash. Liquids must be absorbed in a media such as kitty litter, shredded paper, rags, etc. prior to placement in the trash. Businesses should contact a professional hazardous waste collector to dispose of this type of waste. There are no professional collectors on Kaua'i, but several on Oahu. For recent contracts, the County has worked with EnviroServices (808) 839-7222 and Pacific Commercial Services (808) 478-8930. For a full list of vendors, please call the County Recycling Office. If you further questions about regulation of hazardous waste, please contact the State Department of Health at (808) 586-4226.

Tires from passenger vehicles from a residential source are accepted at all County Transfer Stations and the landfill free of charge. Residents can bring up to eight auto and light truck tires per year, or four truck and high-performance tires per year. It is OK to leave rims on the tires. Industrial tires, and tires from non-residential sources are not accepted at County refuse stations; these tires may be taken to PS&D Tires in Lihue (245-9502), Unitek (246-9265)– call businesses to get information on handling fees, or Maui Tire Recycling (808-357-3241). All tires are banned from the landfill on Kaua'i and will be recycled.

Residents can take ferrous scrap metal (steel, stainless steel, and iron) to the Puhi Metals Recycling Facility- operated by Resource Recovery Solutions, LLC., 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 245-6919.

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.

Call Brendan Halton at Maui Tire Recycling at (808) 357-3241 for metal recycling information.

Residents can take these items to the Puhi Metals Recycling Facility free of charge. Puhi Metals is open Monday – Saturday from 8 am to 4 pm. Fluids such as oils and gasoline do not need to be drained before depositing these items. 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 Recycling Center by phone at 245-6919.

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

Please call the Business Recycling Specialist Emily Medeiros at 241-4841 to help assist you.  If you want to start right away, here are some tips: If you are a small business, you should stockpile materials and transport them to a recycling facility yourself. Garden Isle Disposal in Lihue accepts recyclables from businesses free of charge. You’ll need to get some durable receptacles to store and transport materials. Large plastic storage containers with lids are recommended, but you can use cardboard boxes also. If you are a large business, you may want to hire a contractor to haul materials for recycling. You could contact your current garbage hauler to see if you can negotiate recycling services into your garbage contract, and/or contact all commercial recyclers to learn about their services and rates: JC Sandblast & Recycle Kaua'i 245-2600; Garden Isle Disposal – 245-2372; L & T Alternatives 652-5654.

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.

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.

A:  These items are accepted free of charge at Kaua'i Fire Protection Inc. on La La road in Lihue near Kaua'i High School.  Unit contents are safely discharged and recycled when possible.  Call Kaua'i Fire Protection Inc. at 245-9507 for hours of operation.

The following is a list of examples of containers that are not covered under the law. These are only examples; this is not a complete list.
Milk, Wine, Spirit, Liqueur, Medical Food, Infant Formula, Concentrate, and Syrup.  Call the County Recycling Office at 241-5120 for more information.