In our series this week “Trashing Paradise” we’ve been looking at a number of issues involving waste in Hawaii, and many of them differ from island to island.
That’s the case with recycling. For example, Kauai, Maui and Molokai do not have curbside pickup service, but instead have recycling centers or “drop bins” spread around the islands. Oahu does have a curbside recycling program, all of the normal items are allowed, except for single wall cardboard like cereal boxes. According to Hawaii Zero Waste, nation-wide, recycling is a two-hundred billion dollar business that employs more than a million workers. The Environmental Protection Agency says recycling one-ton of aluminum cans conserves the equivalent of more than sixteen-thousand gallons of gasoline.
You can find our entire "Trashing Paradise" series here.
For more information on Recycling, check out:
http://www.recyclehawaii.org/
http://www.opala.org/solid_waste/community_recycling_centers.html
http://sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org/
For a list of companies that'll collect your recyclables:
http://www.opala.org/solid_waste/archive/Collectors.html
Oahu based Recycling companies:
http://www.opala.org/solid_waste/archive/recycling_companies.html#listing
