Can you recycle plastic bags in Honolulu, HI?

Not in your blue cart. Bags and film wrap around the sorting equipment at the facility City & County of Honolulu uses, which is why they're excluded almost everywhere. Take clean, dry bags back to a grocery-store drop-off, or put them in your gray cart.

What do I do with batteries in Honolulu, HI?

Batteries never go in any of your Honolulu, HI carts — not the blue cart, not the gray cart. They're household hazardous waste and a genuine fire risk in the truck. Tape the terminals and take them to a local e-waste or household-hazardous-waste drop-off.

Recycling rules in Honolulu, HI

📍 City & County of Honolulu · 2-cart program

Who collects your recycling in Honolulu, HI

Honolulu, HI collects its own residential waste: City & County of Honolulu operates the carts directly rather than contracting the route to a private hauler. Households get two carts — a blue cart for recyclables and a gray cart for everything else. There is no curbside compost cart, so food scraps and food-soiled paper go in the gray cart.

That two-cart setup is the norm for most of the country — curbside food-scrap collection remains rare outside California and a handful of West Coast and Northeast cities.

The quick answer for Honolulu, HI

Plastic bottles & jugs	♻️ Blue cart	Empty; keep the cap on.
Aluminum & steel cans	♻️ Blue cart	Give them a rinse.
Flattened cardboard	♻️ Blue cart	Clean, dry sections only.
Glass bottles & jars	♻️ Blue cart	Lids off.
Food scraps	🗑️ Gray cart	No curbside compost cart here.
Greasy pizza box	🗑️ Gray cart	No curbside compost cart here.
Plastic bags & film	🗑️ Gray cart	Store drop-off is better.
Batteries	⚠️ Hazardous	Never curbside — tape the terminals.

This is the short list. The full A–Z of what is and isn't recyclable is on what can I recycle? — or scan the item and get the answer for Honolulu, HI directly.

📷 Scan an item

Honolulu, HI recycling FAQ

Can you recycle plastic bags in Honolulu, HI?: Not in your blue cart. Bags and film wrap around the sorting equipment at the facility City & County of Honolulu uses, which is why they're excluded almost everywhere. Take clean, dry bags back to a grocery-store drop-off, or put them in your gray cart.
What do I do with batteries in Honolulu, HI?: Batteries never go in any of your Honolulu, HI carts — not the blue cart, not the gray cart. They're household hazardous waste and a genuine fire risk in the truck. Tape the terminals and take them to a local e-waste or household-hazardous-waste drop-off.

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Still not sure?

Rules vary by material and by hauler, and the sorting line is strict — one wrong item can contaminate a whole load. When in doubt, point your camera at the item for a verdict, or check the official City & County of Honolulu guide.