Curbside Recycling

In June of 2025, the County of Kaua‘i completed a detailed study to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a curbside recycling program. While the program would increase the amount of recyclables collected, the overall impact on landfill diversion would be relatively small, only about a 2 percent increase over current levels. The cost to implement weekly curbside recycling service and constructing and operating a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) is estimated at over $15.5 million per year, or approximately $65 per household per month. Given the high cost and limited diversion benefit, the County has determined that curbside recycling is not financially sustainable at this time. Instead, Kaua‘i continues to support a network of drop-off recycling locations and is exploring more cost-effective ways to reduce waste and extend the life of the Kekaha Landfill. For more information on drop-off recycling locations, please visit our Kauai’ Recycles page.

Curbside Recycling Program Plan & Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) Evaluation, June 2025

The County hired consultants develop the following documents:

Integration Plan for a Single-Stream Recycling Curbside Collection Program(PDF, 1MB) to 1) Assess quantities of recyclables that could potentially be diverted from the residential waste stream currently received at the County Refuse Transfer Stations and recyclables received at the drop-off locations; 2) Develop reasonable assumptions for cost model inputs; 3) Estimate the cost to implement a curbside recycling program; and 4) Provide a useful decision-making tool for the County.

Material Recovery Facility (MRF) Evaluation(PDF, 1MB) to outline conceptual development assumptions, estimate rough order of magnitude capital and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, and assess key factors related to the development of a MRF for integration into the County’s solid waste management program.

Summary Memorandum(PDF, 259KB) that summarizes the findings of the above reports, and provides a combined cost summary to implement a curbside recycling program along with conclusions.

File Downloads

Integration Plan for single-stream recycling(PDF, 1MB)

Materials Recovery Evaluation(PDF, 1MB)

Summary Memorandum of SSRCCP and MRF Evaulation(PDF, 259KB)