Special Event Recycling

Kauai is a beautiful island that has many beaches, parks, and other wonderful locations that locals and visitors can hold events at.

The County's Recycling Office encourages everyone to consider hosting a Zero Waste event or utilizing our free event bin and other recycling program options at your next get together.

Please see below for program details.

purple outline of Kauai Island

turtle eating plastic

Zero Waste Events

Zero Waste is a set of policies and goals, based on the concept of “waste as a resource” and is part of a sustainable solution for our island's economy. Zero Waste, first and foremost, is a different way of thinking about solid waste.

For a full description of Zero Waste, please see https://www.kauai.gov/ZeroWaste.

If you need help creating a Zero Waste Event, please contact Zero Waste Kauai. They are a non-profit that promotes, educates, and facilitates zero waste events on our island. Their website is https://www.zerowastekauai.net/index.html. You can check out their events page at https://www.zerowastekauai.net/events.html for downloadable information on doing your own zero waste event.

HI5 Beverages- Events bins and Redemption

Please see https://www.kauai.gov/HI5 for a full program description, but see below for a short summary of the program details that may help with your event.

HI5 material consists of most beverages sold on island, but excludes hard liquors, most wines, and dairy products.
HI5 material is eligible for redemption at one of the five HI5 redemption centers on island.
Material must be rinsed and sorted by material type (plastic, aluminum, glass, bi-metal) before redemption. Please note there is higher redemption value for small 16.9 ounce or less plastic bottles based on weight. It’s up to you to sort plastics by size. All contaminants must be removed (limes, straws, liquids) as well.
Some sites are mobile and only open on certain days of the week. Please see the schedule on the HI5 page for more information.
Our HI5 specialists Tawna tbensaid@kauai.gov or Shantelle srego@kauai.gov can assist you with event bins including HI5 recycling bins (60 max), trash cans (20 max), compost bins (9 max). Bins must be picked up from and dropped off at our Kaua‘i Resource Center at 3460 Ahukini Road by the airport. Zero Waste Kaua‘i has Zero Waste Stations and more bins. If their members cannot be physically on-site for the event, they may be open to renting out their stations.

2 aluminum cans

Other recyclable material

Most other event materials that are recyclable can be deposited at one of the County's eight drop bin locations. A full list of locations and program description are found at https://www.kauai.gov/kauairecycles. You can drop off HI5 materials in to these bins if time or convenience does not allow for redemption of these containers.

Program Summary-

Includes plastics #1 and #2 bottles and jars only (containers with screw on caps). Caps should be thrown away. One gallon water or milk jugs are accepted. No other plastic material is accepted for recycling.
Mixed paper including newspaper products.
Aluminum and steel cans
Cardboard
Glass food and beverage containers (we accept hard liquor and wine bottles in these bins).
Please rinse out containers or remove contamination as necessary.

KMart Recycle Bins

Compostable Material

Currently Heart & Soul Organics located on the north shore of Kaua‘i is the only composting facility that is permitted to take food waste that will come along with the compostable plates, utensils, and other items that will be used at an event.

If Zero Waste Kaua‘i is not available to coordinate the event, please contact Heart & Soul Organics directly. The owner Mark Freeman allows self-hauling to his site or he can bring down a bin that you can load up your compostable material in to. Depending on the size of the event there may be a nominal charge for self-hauling, otherwise there will be an overall charge to haul a bin to the event location and back. Material must be free of all non-compostable material.

Compostable utensils and other products require a commercial composting site like Heart & Soul to properly compost. The County's home composting system and other units that you might purchase for home use would not be able to break down the material sufficiently.

Heart & Soul Organics- 808-823-1007, 6220 Koolau Rd, HI 96754.

Compost material