Sofia Martinez
The HI-5 program is a Hawaii-funded initiative that encourages recycling by placing a 5-cent redeemable deposit on each qualified beverage container. The program accepts glass, plastic, and metal containers, and there are over 15 redemption centers across the state. However, for those living on Oahu, finding a place to recycle non-HI5 plastics can be challenging. While the City & County of Honolulu is evaluating options for curbside recycling, currently, there are limited options for recycling non-HI5 plastics on the island.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To increase recycling, reduce litter from bottles and cans, and recycle as many beverage containers as possible |
| Deposit redeemable | $0.05 |
| Container size | 2 liters or smaller |
| Container material | Glass, plastic, aluminum, or bi-metal |
| Acceptable containers | Water, soda, juice, tea, coffee, beer, mixed spirits (less than 15% alcohol content), and wine coolers (less than 7% alcohol content) |
| Unacceptable containers | Milk, wine, liquor, and all containers larger than 2 liters |
| Redemption centers | More than 15 island-wide |
| Curbside recycling | Not currently available |
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What You'll Learn
Redemption centres
To prepare your recyclables for a redemption centre, separate your containers by type: glass, plastic, aluminium, and bi-metal. Flattened aluminium and plastic containers are also accepted. Remember to remove caps from bottles, as they cannot be included when redeeming by weight and are not currently recycled by Hawaii County.
There are several redemption centres on Oahu, including Mr. K's Recycle & Redemption, with multiple locations on the island. One centre is located on Kino'ole Street in Hilo, open daily from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Another Mr. K's centre can be found on Kauhola Street in Kailua-Kona and is open on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Additionally, there are mobile "reverse vending machine" trucks operated by RRR Recycling Services, where you can redeem your HI-5 containers for the deposit refund. These trucks move around the island, providing convenient drop-off points for recyclers.
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Transfer stations
Keauhou Recycling & Transfer Station
This transfer station is located at 74-5600 Alapa Street, Kailua-Kona, in the Old Industrial Area. It is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Please note that this location was closed on Saturday, July 20, 2024.
Hāwī (Ka'auhuhu) Recycling & Transfer Station
The Hāwī Recycling & Transfer Station is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Honoka'a Recycling & Transfer Station
The Honoka'a Recycling & Transfer Station observes the same opening hours as the Hāwī location, being open on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Puakō Recycling & Transfer Station
This transfer station is only open on Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
General Information
There is no charge for using the Recycling and Transfer Stations in Hawaii County. However, there is a limit of one load per customer/vehicle per day, with a maximum load size of 3 cubic yards. Trailers and dump bed trucks are prohibited. Only clean materials are accepted, with no food residue, oil, or other contaminants. Make sure to place approved recyclable materials in the designated bins.
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Containers accepted
The HI-5 program in Hawaii encourages residents to recycle beverage containers by offering a 5-cent refund for each container. The HI-5 label can be found on glass, plastic, and metal containers for soft drinks, soda, juice, tea, coffee drinks, water, beer, malt beverages, mixed spirits, and wine coolers.
- Plastic beverage bottles and containers with plastic codes 1 and 2. Containers must be rinsed, and lids removed. Labels are okay.
- Glass bottles and jars.
- Aluminum cans.
- Bi-metal cans.
- Corrugated cardboard.
- Newspaper.
- White and colored office paper.
- Brown paper bags.
It is important to note that plastic bags, food tubs, hard plastic, styrofoam, shrink wrap, foam rubber, ceramics, light bulbs, window glass, steel/tin cans, scrap metals, lawn furniture, and building materials are not accepted at HI-5 recycling centers.
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Containers not accepted
The HI-5 program is a State of Hawaii-funded initiative that encourages recycling by placing a 5-cent redeemable deposit on each qualified beverage container. The program accepts glass, plastic, and metal containers, but there are still some containers that are not accepted at HI-5 recycling centers.
Containers that are not accepted at HI-5 recycling centers include:
- Milk cartons
- Wine bottles
- Liquor bottles
- Containers larger than 2 liters
- Plastic bags
- Food tubs
- Hard plastic
- Styrofoam
- Shrink wrap
- Foam rubber
- Ceramics
- Light bulbs
- Window glass
- Steel/tin cans
- Scrap metals
- Lawn furniture
- Building materials
- Magazines
- Telephone books
- Juice cartons
- Wax-coated cardboard
- Rubber bands
- String
It is important to separate your containers before arriving at the recycling center and to remove caps from bottles, as caps are also not accepted.
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Curbside recycling
The City & County of Honolulu offers curbside recycling for its residents. RRR Recycling Services Hawaii has been the processor of Honolulu's curbside recycling since 2007. The recyclables are collected from residents' "blue bins" and brought to RRR Recycling, which has installed Hawaii's first semi-automated sort line to efficiently process commodities.
The "blue bins" are for mixed recyclables, including newspaper, white office paper, corrugated cardboard, glass bottles and jars, aluminum cans, metal food cans, and plastic bottles coded No. 1 and No. 2. Residents are asked to remove any staples, clips, envelopes, sticky labels, and/or glossy paper from the paper before placing it in the bin.
There is also a "green bin" for green waste, which includes grass, tree and hedge trimmings, and a "gray bin" for garbage, including plastic bags, Styrofoam, junk mail, magazines, cereal boxes, and other chipboard.
It is important to note that some materials cannot be recycled through the curbside program, such as plastic bags, food tubs, hard plastic, Styrofoam, shrink wrap, foam rubber, ceramics, light bulbs, window glass, steel/tin cans, scrap metals, lawn furniture, and building materials. For these items, residents may need to explore other recycling options, such as taking them to a recycling center or drop-off location.
To learn more about the curbside recycling program in Oahu, residents can visit the official website or contact the Department of Environmental Services, which is responsible for managing waste and recycling on the island.
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Frequently asked questions
The HI-5 program is a Hawaii-funded program that places a 5-cent redeemable deposit on each qualified beverage container to encourage recycling and reduce litter from bottles and cans.
The HI-5 program accepts glass, plastic, aluminum, and bi-metal containers.
You can recycle non-HI5 plastic on Oahu at private companies such as Mr. K's Recycle & Redemption, Atlas Recycling, and Reynolds Recycling redemption centers.
In addition to plastic, Oahu recycles glass, aluminum, cardboard, paper, and metal.
