By Staff Reports
(LÎHU’E)– County officials announced today that steel food cans such as those used for canned vegetables, along with clean aluminum foil and aluminum food pans, are now accepted for recycling in the Kaua‘i Recycles Residential Drop Bin Program.
Currently, there are eight Kauai Recycles drop bin sites throughout the island, including: Hanalei transfer station; at the end of Kahau Road past the Kapa’a skate park; K-Mart back parking lot in Lîhu’e; Brennecke’s Beach Broiler parking lot in Po’ipû; Lâwa‘i Post Office; ‘Ele’ele Shopping Center; Waimea Canyon Park; and the Kekaha Landfill.
As part of a new contract with Garden Isle Disposal, Inc., the county has added a new bin to the assortment of collection bins at each of the Kaua‘i Recycles drop sites. The new bin accepts mixed metals, including: steel food cans; aluminum and bi-metal cans; clean aluminum foil; and clean aluminum food pans and trays.
“We are very excited about this improvement because people have been requesting it for a long time”, said Solid Waste Program Coordinator Allison Fraley. “Steel is a valuable resource that should be diverted from the landfill. Now the public has a more convenient venue to recycle steel cans and aluminum along with other household recyclables.”
Fraley noted that because some cans (such as pet food cans) may contain a lot of food residue, it is extremely important that the cans be rinsed prior to taking them to the Kaua’i Recycles bins to reduce odors and food contamination.
The new recycling contract also provides larger mixed paper recycling bins in Kapa‘a and Lîhu‘e where volumes have been high, as well as an increase in the frequency of hauling all of the recycling bins.
“In the past we’d heard reports that bins were overflowing and people were unable to deposit their material, which can be very discouraging to recyclers,” said Fraley. “We have coordinated a hauling schedule and system under the new contract which should eliminate this problem. We are hoping to encourage new recyclers, and ask the people who are already recycling to spread the word to friends and neighbors about how easy and rewarding recycling is so that participation in the program continues to grow!”
Over the last 10 years, the Kaua‘i Recycles program has increased tremendously. In 2002, an average of 67 tons per month was collected. Since then, that number has more than doubled, and last month 173 tons were collected.
In addition to steel food cans and aluminum foil, the Kaua’i Recycles Program also accepts the following items for recycling: corrugated cardboard; newspaper; mixed paper (including junk mail, magazines, white and colored paper, phone books, food boxes, etc); aluminum cans; plastics #1 and #2; and glass bottles and jars.
For more information about the Kaua’i Recycles Residential Drop Bin Program or other county recycling programs, please log on to the county website, www.kauai.gov/recycling, or contact the County Recycling Office at 241-4841.