As the holiday season comes to an end, local officials are urging residents to properly recycle live Christmas trees that are free of flocking and tinsel. 

Here is a roundup of how to recycle Christmas trees on Oahu, Kauai and Maui Nui. 

Oahu

Residents with green carts should remove all decorations from their trees and cut the trees into pieces in order to ensure the lid closes. If a tree is adorned with tinsel or flocking, it must be cut, bagged and placed in the gray cart. 

For households with manual curbside collection, trees must be cut into three-foot sections, bundled securely and placed at the curb. These trees are taken to H-Power and are not recycled.  

Alternatively, residents may drop off whole Christmas trees at any Refuse Convenience Center (except for Wahiawa Convenience Center) or the Kapaa Transfer Station in Kailua. Trees without flocking may be brought to the city’s composting contractor, Hawaiian Earth Recycling in Wahiawā, at no cost.

Condominiums and commercial buildings may deliver large loads of Christmas trees directly to the composting facility and fees will be waived over the holidays. To arrange these deliveries, please contact ENV’s Refuse Division at 808-768-3200 (option 7).

Kauai

Kauai residents may bring Christmas trees, which are free of decorations, to any of the green waste drop-off areas at Kauai County’s refuse transfer stations or to Kauai Nursery and Landscaping on Kaumualii Highway in Puhi seven days a week from Dec. 26 to Jan. 31. Trees can be loaded onto the truck parked in the KNL driveway.

Maui

On Saturday, Maui County is opening two drop-off sites in Kihei and Makawao temporarily for Christmas tree recycling, which will operate in addition to the usual green waste drop-off services. 

  • The Kihei Recycling Center (off Welakahao Road off the makai side of Piilani Highway) will accept Christmas trees daily between 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. until Jan. 5.
  • The Makawao Recycling Center (off Makani Road behind Kalama Intermediate School) will accept Christmas trees from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Sunday, until Jan. 5.

Permanent sites: 

  • Central Maui Landfill, Pūlehu and Hansen roads, Puʻunēnē, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
  • Olowalu Recycling and Refuse Convenience Center, Honoapiʻilani Highway and Olowalu Village Road, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
  • Hāna Landfill, 35 Hāna Highway, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.
  • Lānaʻi Landfill, Kaumalapau Highway, Lānaʻi City, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.
  • Molokaʻi-Nāʻiwa Landfill & Recycling Center, Maunaloa Highway, Maunaloa, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday.