Recycling in Honolulu

[Glen Miyashiro]

Now that Mayor Mufi has resurrected the city's recycling plan, it looks like residents of Hawaii Kai and Mililani will have to slim down their trash output because on some weeks, they'll have only one regular-garbage pickup a week. Ho boy. So much for tossing everything into the trash. Now you gotta put the yard waste in the green bin and the recyclables in the blue bin. OK... but what exactly counts as "recyclables"? The city says:

Mixed recyclables include newspaper, corrugated cardboard, glass bottles and jars, aluminum cans and plastic bottles and jugs (#1 and #2 plastic codes).

Rinse containers. Remove lids. Labels are okay.

No other paper, magazines, telephone books, glossy paper, cereal or tissue boxes. No other glass, such as drinking glasses, ceramics, window glass. No other plastic, such as polystyrene foam, plastic tubs, plastic bags, plastic toys.

How come only corrugated cardboard? There are plenty of other kinds of cardboard boxes that jam up my rubbish can, why not take them too? And how come no phone book recycling? I didn't want those humbug Paradise Pages in the first place, the company should take them back. Well, I guess once they get to H-POWER they'll at least get burned and generate some electricity.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Recycling in Honolulu

There is a difference:



What is Considered "Cardboard"?

Corrugated "cardboard" is a strong, versatile packaging material that is universally accepted for recovery and recycling. Corrugated packaging material is generally referred to by the general public as “cardboard” and by the industry as Old Corrugated Cardboard (OCC). The term “OCC” is used in this document.

OCC is made from two strips of flat cardboard on the top and bottom, and a wavy “corrugated” or fluted strip running through the center. It is most commonly found in boxes used for packaging and shipping items.

Paperboard (flat, pressed, stiff paper used in cereal boxes, for example)--also often called cardboard by the general public--does not have flutes, is of a lower quality paper, and is often coated. Paperboard, by definition, is not OCC and, therefore, should be kept to a minimum in an OCC collection program.

Quote taken from the link.

[lavagal]

Re: Recycling in Honolulu

I'm OK with it, but as a parent of two Koko Head School students, that school will get all my HI-5s for its fund-raising efforts. A lot of us out here have gotten into the recycling routine, saving for our kids' schools. We even have families who don't have kids in our area drop off their recyclables to benefit our programs. What I don't want to hear down the road is Hawaii Kai considered to have a low-participation rate simply because we'd rather the school get the nickle and not the city.

Yeah, that's one I'll agree with Lee Cataluna on. Eh! How come the city wanna take our HI-5s and our refunds, too?

[jdub]

Re: Recycling in Honolulu

Yep, I'm with Paula. I wasn't a recycler until my new roomie, who is a DOE teacher in Kailua, got the house on the mission. She takes our (prodigious) output of bottles and cans every week for the benefit of her school. Even if I had curbside on Pacific Heights, I'd still rather the recyclables go to home-girl's wee ones in the classroom.

[DNR55]

Re: Recycling chicken boats

Does anybody have an idea about what to do with those sturdy plastic containers that hold the roasted chicken from Costco (and others)?
They seem practically indestructible and I hate to see them go into a landfill. There must be thousands being tossed every day.