Recycling places and
donation alternatives - Hawaii
Last updated September 07, 2009This is a list of various places in Hawaii (focusing mainly on Oahu because I live there) that you can go to get rid of your junk around the house, or websites or places you can check for more information, aside from the usual charities (Community Clearinghouse, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc.). This information is taken from various sources. I've started adding national organizations as well.
Please note that this is a PRIVATE site, created strictly for informational purposes. I am not affiliated with any of the organizations or groups mentioned here (well, OK, I am a freecycling group member) and I do not represent or endorse their views, opinions, etc. Also, because this page is updated infrequently, names and phone numbers and other contact information may be out of date.
Feel free to e-mail me at schala ~~at~~ schala(dot)info with suggestions. PLEASE put the words "Hawaii recycling" somewhere in the subject line so I don't delete your message as spam. Thank you!General recycling/disposal information
- Oahu. Check the city's website, www.opala.org, for information on recycling paper, plastics, cardboard, cans, and more, plus locations of recycling bins and centers.
The United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii offers donation pickups. Call their office to see what their needs are.
- Big Island. Check the Recycle Hawaii website for information on where to go to recycle items.
- Maui. Check Maui County's website for more information.
Also check the Maui Recycling Group's site for information on various programs they run that you can donate to. Among those programs is Aloha Shares, which accepts items ON MAUI ONLY. They haven't updated their site, but they no longer accept outer isles donations (I asked).
- Kauai. Check Kauai County's website for more information.
- Aloha Aina recycling days. These recycling events are held several times a year to benefit various schools and other organizations. A lot of different companies take part, so these events accept a lot of different types of items -- computers, certain electronics, tires, used vehicles, green waste, paper, athletic shoes, even used cooking oil -- which makes them a very handy way to get rid of a lot of junk all at once. You can even arrange for pickup of certain items such as cars if you call the event's organizer in advance. Keep an eye out for events announced in the newspaper or check the city's website for a rough calendar of Aloha Aina days.
- Check the Earth 911 website for other ways to recycle or donate unwanted items and links to other programs.
- Almost everything else. Real Simple magazine had an excellent article with a rundown of lots of items and how to recycle -- even crayons, Crocs, and fire extinguishers! Check out the article at this link. Of course, whether that areosol or deodorant container can actually be thrown in the recycling bin depends on your city; make sure to call the appropriate agency first.
Cans, bottles, plastic beverage containers
Hawaii instituted a so-called "bottle bill" in January 2005 that charges a 5-cent refundable deposit and a 1-cent nonrefundable program fee for each beverage container sold.- To get your 5-cent deposit back, there are recycling centers across the state. Check the state Department of Health website for more information on the program and recycling center locations.
- Donate your empties to help charitable organizations. Various groups sometimes hold drives for people to drop off cans and bottles, which they will then turn in to recycling centers and claim the 5-cent refund to fund their projects. Check the newspaper or other neighborhood bulletin boards and flyers for information.
- Bring your containers to a school recycling bin, and the school will receive the proceeds from the recyclables. Just be warned of thieves stealing from school bins; if you see anyone suspicious, please PLEASE report it.
Appliances, nonworking
Call Honolulu Community College's CENT program to see if it will accept your old appliances. The program may take them for students to put to work repair and electrical skills. The items are then distributed to nonprofit groups. (Taken from a Star-Bulletin story.)Audio equipment, nonworking
Call Honolulu Community College's CENT program to see if it will accept your old appliances. The program may take them for students to put to work repair and electrical skills. The items are then distributed to nonprofit groups. (Taken from a Star-Bulletin story.)Batteries, rechargable
A national program recycles these; drop off at special boxes at Home Depot or Radio Shack. Check the city's website for more information on what can be recycled.Batteries, car
Many places that sell car batteries will also accept old ones, which will be recycled. Call your car-parts store to see if they accept batteries.
The city also has convenience centers where you can drop off old batteries. Check the city's website for locations, hours, rules, and other information. (Taken from the Star-Bulletin's Kokua Line)Bicycles
- Drop off used and unwanted bikes on Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Kalihi Valley Instructional Bike Exchange, 1638 Kamehameha IV Road. The bikes will be refurbished (or used for parts) and rented out to the community. The program is part of Kokua Kalihi Valley.
- Alternatively, you can bring bikes to Waialua High and Intermediate. The students will repair the bikes and give them back to the community. Call the school for more information. (From an article in the Star-Bulletin's Kokua Line.)
Books, magazines
- Books can be donated to the Friends of the Library for them to sell at their huge annual book sale to benefit the state library system. Drop off items at their collection center on Pohukaina Street near Restaurant Row. Check the Friends' website for more information. Your donation may be tax-deductible.
- Call your local library or school to see if they accept donations of old books.
- The St. Francis Medical Center-West thrift shop accepts donations of books and tapes. Call them during office hours (9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays) at 678-7180. All proceeds go back to the hospital. (Taken from a West Oahu Current story, published 12/14/05)
- Magazines can be brought to any state library either for use in their reading rooms or to give away free to the community; magazines are mainly used by students who need to cut pictures or text for projects. Just make sure your address label has been removed from the magazine. Your donation may be tax-deductible.
- Donate books to Reader to Reader, which sends books directly to needy schools and libraries. Institutions MUST apply to become book recipients. There are currently no Hawaii participants, but hopefully that will change. (Taken from a Family Circle article)
- Books To Prisoners sends books to inmates across the nation. Check their site for needed books.
- Books for Soldiers sends books to U.S. troops serving overseas. Before donation, you will have to register and fill out a notarized application for security purposes.
Cameras, camcorders, other video equipment
Most of the information below was taken from this blog and others were taken from this article. I know there are lots of recycling venues that support Hawaii charities, so if you know of any, please e-mail me!- The manufacturer of your paticular piece might have a recycling program.
- Canon offers a good mail-in program. I don't know if the local Canon office will accept items for recycling; you might want to call and ask.
- Sony has a national recycling program in which you bring your items to a local center. I don't know if the local Sony repair center will accept items for recycling; you might want to call and ask.
- Recycle for charity. Check the Recycling for Charities site for information.
- Check the site of the National Center for Electronics Recycling to find a local electronics recycler.
- Check the Greener Gadgets site for a list of manufacturers to see what your recycling options are.
Cardboard, boxes
Only corrugated cardboard is recyclable. "Corrugated" cardboard has two thin layers with a wavy layer in the center. Most shipping boxes are corrugated; other everyday packaging such as cereal boxes are NOT.
Bring them to a city recycling bin, preferably one that is located at a school, because the school will then receive cash for all recyclable materials dropped in their bin. Check the city website for a list of bin locations. Just be warned of thieves stealing from school bins; if you see anyone suspicious, please PLEASE report it.Cell phones
- Help the Hawaii Red Cross by signing up and sending phones to GRC Recycling. Register at GRC's site and make sure to name the Hawaii Chapter of the Red Cross. You'll be given prepaid shipping labels after you sign up. GRC says it pays at least 50 cents for every phone, no matter how old.
- A national program recycles these; drop off at special boxes at Home Depot or Radio Shack.
- There is a nationwide "Call to Protect" program that takes old cell phones and gives them to domestic-abuse victims for use in case of emergency. I'm not sure if this program is still being done here; contact the Hawaii State Coalition Against Domestic Violence to ask.
- The national HopeLine program takes old phones and uses them to benefit victims of domestic abuse. Phones can be brought to any Verizon Wireless store nationwide. Visit the website for more information.
- Retailers, public agencies, and businesses can sign up with Call2Recycle to receive boxes that local consumers can drop their old phones and rechargable batteries in. The boxes are then sent back to Call2Recycle, which pays all shipping and recycling costs. (Taken from a Family Circle article)
- Check the site of the National Center for Electronics Recycling to find a local electronics recycler.
- Check the Greener Gadgets site for a list of manufacturers to see what your recycling options are.
Christmas and/or greeting cards
- Hawaii's famous Christmas Card Lady will take donations of cards and make them into scrapbooks to give to hospitalized children. The original woman, Helen Daniels, died some years ago; the position has been taken over by Merlinda Oania. Check the Star-Bulletin's Kokua Line for Ms. Oania's address and phone number.
Clothing
- General. The Kidney Foundation usually makes scheduled stops for unwanted clothing across the island; their trips are announced beforehand by a brightly colored postcard put in your mailbox (you can't miss it). You may also schedule a pickup by visiting their website. Your donation is tax-deductible.
There are also donation bins throughout the island where you can just drop off your items. Because they're like postal mailboxes, it's suggested that you put only nonbreakable items in these bins, and NO cans or bottles. Click here for a list of bin locations.
- General. The St. Francis Medical Center-West thrift shop accepts donations of gently used clothing. Call them during office hours (9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays) at 678-7180. All proceeds go back to the hospital. (Taken from a West Oahu Current story, published 12/14/05)
- Baby clothing.
- If you want to make some cash, try bringing your stuff to Caterpillar Kids and selling them. I was told they're very picky about what items they buy, however.
- Another possible moneymaker is the Mommy Swap Meet, which is a local consignment event held several times during the year.
- Speaking about consignments, there's now a local affiliate of the Rhea Lana's Children's Consignment Event. Unsold items are usually donated to a charity. (taken from a Star-Bulletin article)
- Coats. Check out One Warm Coat, which collects coats and redistributes them within the community. Take note that OWC helps set up coat drives for organizations; they do NOT collect the coats themselves. Granted, we probably won't be holding a coat drive in Hawaii anytime soon, but the site does have a list of organizations around the nation that are looking for coats. You may be able to ship your coat to a needy group. (Taken from a Family Circle article)
- Fur clothing. Hey, never know, there are probably lots of newcomers to Hawaii who still have fur clothes. Anyway, send these off to the Humane Society of the United States for their Coats for Cubs program for comforting orphaned and injured animals. You might also want to try calling the Hawaiian Humane Society to see if could use fur clothes or old towels for their animals.
- Jeans. Give these to Habitat for Humanity to use as insulation in homes. I'm not certain if the local Habitat will take them; contact them and ask. (Taken from an Ideal Bite mailing)
- Men's work clothes. The national charity Career Gear MIGHT accept men's clothing; but so far, I haven't seen anything on their site that says so. They don't have a local affiliate, so you'd have to mail clothing donations to them (if they do indeed accept such items).
- Prom dresses. The so-far only Hawaii chapter of Becca's Closet on Maui accepts donations of prom dresses and accessories. Check the chapter's website for contact information, or try calling King Kekaulike High School on Maui. Your donation is tax-deductible.
- Wedding dresses. Donate these to national charities. None of them have any local offices, so you will have to ship them at your own expense. Check each charity's website for more details.
- Brides Against Breast Cancer Nationwide Tour of Gowns. Dresses provided by women and bridal shops are sold for a fraction of their cost.
- I Do Foundation. Donated gowns are sold through a consignment shop. The bride selects a charity to receive 20 percent of the sale price; another percentage goes to support the foundation's work.
- Mary Madeline Project. Volunteers use wedding dresses to sew outfits for stillborn babies and those who die soon after birth.
- Mitzvah Messenger Project (the corresponding links are on the left side of the page). Donated dresses are given to needy brides in Israel.
- Women's work clothes. Bring these to the Honolulu Dress for Success program. Drop off clothes at the YWCA on Richards Street. They also accept other feminine items like unused cosmetics, unused undergarments, new nylons/pantyhose, bags, and dress shoes. Your donation is tax-deductible.
- The Women's Alliance also accepts donations of women's work clothing and accessories. There's no local affiliate, however; if you'd like to donate your items to them, you'll have to mail them off.
Computers and computer-related items, nonworking
- Island Recycling (845-1188, 1811 Dillingham Blvd.) accepts nonfunctioning computers.
- A twice-yearly drive on Oahu at CompUSA Kakaako (near Restaurant Row) collects working and nonworking computers, which will be either recycled or refurbished and given to schools and other nonprofit groups. Check your newspapers for actual dates.
- Big Island residents. Recycle Hawaii has started a "CompuCycle" event to which you can bring computers and computer-related equipment (NO stereo equipment, appliances or TVs accepted). Computers are refurbished and then made available to schools and nonprofit groups. Check your local newspapers for ads on when the next dropoff will be held, or check Recycle Hawaii's website. Your donation is tax-deductible.
- Check the site of the National Center for Electronics Recycling to find a local electronics recycler.
- Check the Greener Gadgets site for a list of manufacturers to see what your recycling options are.
Computers and computer-related items, working
- According to the Star-Bulletin's Kokua Line: The city Office of Economic Development is in the process of setting up a one-stop Web site, Kidsdotcom, where people can get information about where and how to donate computers. In the meantime, Hawaii Computer For Kids works to put computers in public school classrooms. Call Helping Hands Hawaii (843-8473); Computer-Aided Technologies International (521-2259 or e-mail cfk@catii.com); or contact any member of the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Honolulu.
- Try to call any school in your area to see if they take computer donations.
- A twice-yearly drive on Oahu at CompUSA Kakaako (near Restaurant Row) collects working and nonworking computers, which will be either recycled or refurbished and given to schools and other nonprofit groups. Check your newspapers for actual dates.
- Big Island residents. Recycle Hawaii has started a "CompuCycle" event to which you can bring computers and computer-related equipment (NO stereo equipment, appliances or TVs accepted). Computers are refurbished and then made available to schools and nonprofit groups. Check your local newspapers for ads on when the next dropoff will be held, or check Recycle Hawaii's website. Your donation is tax-deductible.
- Find a local organization in need at the National Cristina Foundation. You'll need to fill out a form describing what you're donating, and NCF will try to match your request with a local group. You can also donate monitors, printers, and many other computer-related items.
- Check the site of the National Center for Electronics Recycling to find a local electronics recycler.
- Check the Greener Gadgets site for a list of manufacturers to see what your recycling options are.
Electronics
Eyeglasses
- Lenscrafters accepts old glasses, whose lenses will be used to make eyeglasses for children in poor countries. I believe you can drop them off at any Lenscrafters store; call and ask.
- I believe Lions Clubs also accept glasses; I know there's a drop-off box at my local Bank of Hawaii for such a purpose. Check with your local Lions Club.
Foam, styrofoam (polystyrene foam)
Polystyrene foam is usually those big pieces of foam used to pad big boxes for appliances, TVs, computers, computer monitors, and other large items. A Kapolei business -- Pacific Allied Products -- is named by the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers as a foam recycler. Be sure to call first to see if they still accept it and what exactly they take back.
If not, the alliance does offer a mailback program. Check the above link for details.
Ink cartridges (for printers)
- Recycle your empty inkjet cartridges to benefit the Three Ring Ranch Exotic Animal Sanctuary on the Big Island. Go to their website to request free pre-paid envelopes that you use to mail your cartridges in for recycling. Unfortunately, Epson and Canon BCI cartridges cannot be accepted.
- Go to Office Depot and turn them in, and you will receive a free ream of printer paper. I'm actually not sure if this is an ongoing offer; I saw it advertised a long time ago in the Sunday paper, but I don't know if it was only for a limited time. Call your nearest Office Depot and ask. Only certain brands and types of cartridges are accepted.
Linens, towels
Contact the Humane Society of the United States to see if they can use old towels and linens to help comfort orphaned and injured animals. You might also want to try calling the Hawaiian Humane Society to see if could use such items as well.
Musical instruments
Contact Hungry For Music, which refurbishes instruments and distributes them to needy children. Particularly valuable instruments are resold and the money used to purchase new instruments to give to kids. It has no local chapter, so you will have to ship your items to them. (Taken from a Family Circle article)
Packing peanuts
- UPS Stores may take them for recycling. Call the one nearest to you for more details.
- Call the Plastic Loose Fill Council’s Peanut Hotline at 800-828-2214 for where to recycle. Check their website for more information.
Paper, newspaper
Bring them to a city recycling bin, preferably one that is located at a school, because the school will then receive cash for all recyclable materials dropped in their bin. Check the city website for a list of bin locations. Glossy magazines and ad inserts CANNOT be recycled; such paper has a coating on it that makes it glossy but unfortunately also makes it ineligible for general recycling.
Just be warned of thieves stealing from school bins; if you see anyone suspicious, please PLEASE report it.
Phone books, phone directories
Rather than simply bringing these to a city recycling bin, you can also help local schools by waiting for Verizon Hawaii's yearly phone-directories recycling drive. All phone directories are accepted, not just Verizon's. This drive is in the form of a school contest -- the schools who turn in the most books win cash awards. This contest usually occurs around September; check your newspapers for announcements.
Plastic grocery bags
- Bring them to any Safeway store. I'm not sure exactly what you have to do with them; call your local Safeway and ask. The Kapolei Safeway does have a recycling bin right by the front door that you can shove plastic bags into. Just please make sure the bags don't fly out of the bin and become litter.
- Do you shop at Down to Earth? The store will give you a 5-cent credit for each bag that you bring in to use for bagging your groceries.
- I've heard that Longs Drugs recycles bags somehow. If someone knows more details of this, please e-mail me.
Shoes, athletic
- Nike has a Reuse-A-Shoe program that recycles old athletic shoes. There are 2 dropoff sites on Oahu (none on the neighbor islands that I know of). They can accept only 10 pairs or fewer at one time; call ahead for larger donations.
- Runners HI, 98-390A Kamehameha Hwy., Aiea
- Niketown, King Kalakaua Plaza 2080, Kalakaua Avenue, Waikiki
You may also mail any number of shoes at your own expense directly to Nike at the below address. This address may change, so always check Nike's website first for the most recent address:Nike Recycling Center
c/o Reuse-A-Shoe
26755 SW 95th Ave.
Wilsonville, OR 97070
- Shoe drives are sometimes held by the city. These events are usually in conjunction with the Nike program. Keep an eye out for announcements in the newspaper.
- Shoes are sometimes accepted at Aloha Aina recycling days. Check the newspaper or the city's website for a rough calendar of events.
Vehicles (cars, trucks, vans, etc.)
- Contact Catholic Charities. Vehicles do not have to be in working condition.
- Contact the Hawaii chapter of the Kidney Foundation. Vehicles do not have to be in working order, but there are some older models they will not accept if they are not working. Check their website for more information.
Miscellaneous
- You might want to check out the Freecycle Honolulu Yahoo group. You can offer practically anything you've got, working or nonworking condition, like-new or beat-up. There's no guarantee that someone will take you up on your offer, but it's worth a shot, and it's a way to keep large items out of our fast-filling landfills for at least a little while longer. The main stipulation is that items must be FREE -- hence the word "freecycle."
Those not in the Honolulu/Oahu area can check out these other freecycling groups on Yahoo Groups:
- The St. Francis Medical Center-West thrift shop accepts donations of books, tapes, gently used clothing, small household goods, and jewelry. Baby items such as clothing and strollers are also popular. Call them during office hours (9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays) at 678-7180. All proceeds go back to the hospital. (Taken from a West Oahu Current story, published 12/14/05)
- Check the City and County of Honolulu's recycling site for items such as car oil, large appliances, and other stuff that you simply want to trash rather than recycle.
- Almost everything else. Real Simple magazine had an excellent article with a rundown of lots of items and how to recycle -- even crayons, Crocs, and fire extinguishers! Check out the article at this link. Of course, whether that areosol or deodorant container can actually be thrown in the recycling bin depends on your city; make sure to call the appropriate agency first.
The usual charities
- Aloha Aina recycling days. These recycling events are held several times a year to benefit various schools and other organizations. A lot of different companies take part, so these events accept a lot of different types of items -- computers, certain electronics, tires, used vehicles, green waste, paper, athletic shoes, even used cooking oil -- which makes them a very handy way to get rid of a lot of junk all at once. You can even arrange for pickup of certain items such as cars if you call the event's organizer in advance. Keep an eye out for events announced in the newspaper or check the city's website for a rough calendar of Aloha Aina days.
- Community Clearinghouse. They accept items like clothes, toys, and furniture and distribute directly to needy families, which makes this my No. 1 charity to go to when I have stuff to donate. Their warehouse is located along Nimitz Highway near Sand Island Access Road. They work under the auspices of Helping Hands Hawaii and usually put out special calls for donations during the holidays. Check the Helping Hands Hawaii website for details.
- The Kidney Foundation. The Hawaii (Oahu) chapter of the National Kidney Foundation mails out bright yellow flyers every so often saying that their truck will be on your street on a certain date to pick up donations of clothing and HI-5 recyclables. Great if you don't have the time to drive down to a particular charity and drop off items; however, what they do is take your stuff and resell them (to Savers, so I've been told). Personally, I'd rather donate to a place that gives items directly to families, but the Kidney Foundation is a worthy cause nonetheless. Keep an eye out for the flyer in your mailbox.
- Salvation Army. Accepts large items such as furniture, but must be in good condition because they will be resold (We once tried to donate a couch, but they wouldn't accept it because the ends of the arm cushions were torn.) Call you nearest store for pickup and more info.
- Big Brothers Big Sisters. Check the Honolulu chapter's website for information.
Feel free to e-mail me at schala ~~at~~ schala(dot)info with additions, corrections, or other suggestions for this page. PLEASE put the words "Hawaii recycling" somewhere in the subject line so I don't delete your message as spam. Thank you!
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