Concern grows over planned closure of Central Maui recycling center
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A Central Maui recycling center used by residents for years is expected to close Tuesday, prompting concerns in the community and among Maui County Council members.
Signs posted at the University of Hawaii Maui College Recycling Center in Kahului say the facility on Wahinepio Avenue will be "permanently closing" on Tuesday, Council Member Kauanoe Batangan said in a Friday news release. The closure follows the end of an agreement between the county and UHMC for operation of the recycling center on the Kahului campus.
Signs posted in and around the facility alert the public to the closure. Photo courtesy Office of Council Services
Batangan, who holds the council seat for the Kahului residency area, said council members have been hearing concerns from residents since signs went up earlier this month at the facility, also known as the Kahului Recycling Center.
"The last thing we want to see is for residents to be inconvenienced or prevented from engaging in sustainable practices that have become habit," Batangan said. "The UHMC Recycling Center has been a Central Maui community asset for years."
Batangan said the county administration told council members and staff in emails that the county's agreement with UHMC to use the site is ending at the end of the month. He said the administration also advised that it asked UHMC to reconsider and has been searching for another recycling site more convenient to Central Maui residents.
"We understand the importance of having a conveniently located recycling center in Central Maui," Batangan said. "Presently, the county is left with no choice because of the decision of the landowner, but our office has joined in the search for potential solutions, and we hope there will be a new location soon."
Maui County said Thursday it is working to identify an alternative recycling site in Central Maui.
"We understand this transition may be an inconvenience for some residents, and we are actively working to identify an alternative recycling site in Central Maui during this transition period," Department of Environmental Management Director Shayne Agawa said in another news release. "In the meantime, Aloha Recycling will continue collecting cardboard, and residents can take other recyclable materials to any of the four other recycling drop-off locations in Central Maui or to any of the County's recycling sites islandwide. We are actively seeking another site and hope to have a new location available soon."
During the transition, residents can continue to recycle HI-5 materials at private redemption facilities, including Aloha Recycling locations in Kahului, Haiku, Makawao and Kihei; Aloha Shell Service in Kahului; and Reynolds Recycling in Kahului.
Aloha Recycling has agreed to provide cardboard recycling drop-off services during the transition at its Kahului base yard. Aloha Recycling can be reached at (808) 871-8544.
Other phone numbers include Aloha Shell Service at (808) 877-5894 and Reynolds Recycling at (808) 348-1750.
Non-HI-5 materials also may be taken to the Central Maui Landfill on Pulehu Road, which is open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Accepted items include mixed paper, cardboard, metal cans, plastic bottles numbered 1 and 2, and glass bottles and jars.
For more information, visit mauicounty.gov/Recycle or call the Maui County recycling hotline at (808) 270-7880.
