Department of Environmental Services

Holiday Ōpala Alerts

2024 Christmas & New Year’s Holiday Schedule

Residents are advised refuse will NOT be collected Wednesday, December 25, 2024, nor Wednesday, January 1, 2025.  The city’s refuse collection service will observe both Christmas and New Year’s days, which are the only two holidays observed by refuse employees.  Furthermore, since transfer stations, convenience centers, H-POWER, and Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill operate seven days a week, all of these facilities will be closed both Wednesdays – Christmas and New Year’s days.  See below for more specific information:

REFUSE COLLECTION

Christmas Day (Observed by Refuse), Wednesday, December 25, 2024

  • If your refuse day (gray cart only) is Christmas Day, the missed collection will be made up during the next several days. So, leave gray carts at the curb until serviced.
  • Refuse will NOT be collected for the following:
    • Recycling collection days falling on Christmas Day will NOT be collected.  Please hold all mixed recyclables (blue cart) and green waste (green cart) until the next scheduled pickup date.
    • Residents with twice-per-week manual refuse collection are asked to hold their waste until the next scheduled pickup date. Household pickup information is located at Collection Schedules.

New Year’s Day (Observed by Refuse), Wednesday, January 1, 2025

  • If your refuse day (gray cart only) is New Year’s Day, the missed collection will be made up during the next several days. So, leave gray carts at the curb until serviced.
  • Refuse will NOT be collected for the following:
    • Recycling collection days falling on New Year’s Day will NOT be collected.  Please hold all mixed recyclables (blue cart) and green waste (green cart) until the next scheduled pickup date.
    • Residents with twice-per-week manual refuse collection are asked to hold their waste until the next scheduled pickup date. Household pickup information is located at Collection Schedules.

REFUSE FACILITIES

Christmas Day (Observed by Refuse), Wednesday, December 25, 2024

  • Refuse transfer stations, convenience centers, H-POWER, and Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill will be closed; however, the facilities will reopen Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024.

New Year’s Day (Observed by Refuse), Wednesday, January 1, 2025

  • Refuse transfer stations, convenience centers, H-POWER, and Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill will be closed; however, the facilities will reopen Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025.

Christmas Tree Disposal

Compost Your Tree!

Natural Christmas Trees

Natural trees can be dropped off whole at Convenience Centers (except Wahiawā), Kapaʻa Transfer Station, or Hawaiian Earth Recycling, Wahiawā. Be sure to remove all decorations. Bulky appointments cannot be made for natural Christmas trees.

Christmas tree disposal
View image above as html

Artificial Trees

Reuse artificial trees year after year, or donate them. Otherwise, you may schedule a bulky appointment or drop it off at any convenience center or transfer station. Be sure to remove all decorations.

Please be aware that the state has discontinued the special “treecycling” sites at parks and other locations around the island. Do not bring your trees to these sites.

Sort it Out!

When non-recyclable items are put in the blue recycling bin, it creates contamination that takes extra resources to remove at sorting facilities. This includes plastic bags – only bag your gray cart rubbish please!

For households without curbside recycling, there are recycling centers across the island that accept HI-5 beverage containers or mixed recycling. Visit our Recycling Center page for locations.

XmasBluevsGray GREENVERSION220copy

Put in blue cart:  corrugated cardboard, white and colored paper, metal cans, paper bags, glass, bottles and jars, newspaper, and plastics 1 and 2.

Put in gray cart: decorations, cards, junk mail and magazines, glossy gift bags and tissue paper, gift wrapper and tableware.

Fireworks Safety: Stay makaʻala!

When the holiday season comes to a close, it’s important to stay vigilant and take steps to ensure safety for yourself, your neighbors, and city workers.

      • Protect Your Carts: If fireworks are being used in your neighborhood, be sure to put away your refuse carts. Damage caused to carts due to improper handling is the responsibility of the cart owner.
      • Safe Disposal of Fireworks: Fireworks must be disposed of correctly to prevent fires or other hazards. Soak used (and unused if throwing away) fireworks in water overnight. Once fully saturated, break them in half, seal them in a bag, and place them in your gray bin while they’re still wet.

Improper disposal of fireworks can lead to severe consequences. Unsaturated fireworks pose a significant fire risk—they can ignite spontaneously or in contact with reactive materials, such as crushed lithium-ion batteries, potentially causing fires, damage to refuse trucks, or harm to city employees.

Carts have a weight limit of 75 pounds.

Waste Less this Holiday Season!

Buy low-waste gifts like gift cards, and look for products with less packaging. Get creative by wrapping gifts in recyclable or reusable materials. We have some tips for you below.

Holiday Tips

View image above as html

Scroll to Top
Skip to content