How to Request a New Garbage Can in Honolulu: Broken or Stolen

To request a new garbage can in Honolulu, call your local city collection yard or email collection@honolulu.gov. The Department of Environmental Services (ENV) handles cart requests for single-family properties, and the exact steps depend on whether you need a first-time set delivered, a replacement for a broken or stolen cart, or an additional cart because one gray bin is not enough for your household.¹

Every single-family property on Oʻahu with city curbside service is issued three carts: gray for trash, green for yard waste, and blue for mixed recyclables.² Condos, apartments, and other multi-family buildings generally arrange waste service through building management or a private hauler rather than through the city cart system, so the process below does not apply to them.

Call Your Local Collection Yard

Cart requests are handled by the yard that serves your area. Find your neighborhood on the list and call that number directly:

Honolulu Collection Yard (Foster Village to Hawaiʻi Kai): (808) 768-5990
Kailua Collection Yard (Kailua, Temple Valley, Kāneʻohe, Waimānalo): (808) 768-5995
Lāʻie Collection Yard (Kahuku to Kahaluʻu): (808) 768-9748
Pearl City Collection Yard (Hālawa to Makakilo, Pearl City, Waipahu, Waipio Gentry, Royal Kunia, Kapolei, ʻEwa Beach): (808) 768-9732
Wahiawā Collection Yard (Wahiawā, Kunia Camp, Mililani, Waipio Acres): (808) 768-9766
Waialua Collection Yard (Waialua, Haleʻiwa, Sunset): (808) 768-9750
Waiʻanae Collection Yard (Makaha to Honokai Hale): (808) 768-3596

You can also email collection@honolulu.gov to arrange repairs, replacements, or an extra cart, or submit a service request through the city’s HNL311 portal at hnl.info/hnl311.¹ For general refuse questions, the ENV main line is (808) 768-3200.³

Replacing a Broken Cart

Report the damaged cart to your collection yard or by email. During your next regular pickup, a collection supervisor may repair the cart on the spot. If it cannot be salvaged, the crew will swap it out, but the cart has to be empty when they arrive.⁴

There is no charge for normal wear and tear. If the city determines the cart was intentionally damaged, a $75 replacement fee applies per cart.⁵

Replacing a Stolen or Missing Cart

The city requires a police report before it will replace a missing cart. File the report with the Honolulu Police Department first, then call your local collection yard with the report number to arrange the replacement.⁴ This applies to every missing cart, no exceptions for how old or inexpensive the bin was.

Requesting an Additional Cart

If your household consistently fills its gray cart before pickup day, you can request an extra one at no charge. Properties are capped at five carts total: the standard three plus up to two additional carts of any color.⁶ Extras are meant for ongoing need, not one-off overflow from a party or garage cleanout.

Approval is not automatic. The city runs a monitoring period to confirm you actually need more capacity. During monitoring, collection crews check that you are putting recyclables in the blue cart, yard waste in the green cart, compacting your trash, and still overflowing the gray. A single recyclable or prohibited item in the gray cart during this period fails the check and the request is denied.⁶

Timing also matters. Requests for additional carts are not accepted from October 1 through January 31, when collection crews are stretched thin over the holidays. Submit your request starting February 1.⁶

One other option worth knowing: the blue recycling cart ships in a 64-gallon size by default, and you can ask your yard to swap it for a 96-gallon version if you generate a lot of recyclables.⁶

Moving In or Missing a Cart Entirely

City-issued carts belong to the property, not to the resident. Under the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, responsibility sits with the property owner or occupant.⁵ When you sell your home or move out of a rental, the carts stay behind for the next resident.

If you just moved in and the property is missing one or more of the standard three carts, or you own a newly built home that has never received them, call your local collection yard or email collection@honolulu.gov to have a set delivered to the address.¹

1
Department of Environmental Services. Contact Information
2
Department of Environmental Services. Curbside Collection Rules
3
Department of Environmental Services – Honolulu.gov. Contact Us
4
Department of Environmental Services. Contact Broken Missing Carts
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Honolulu.gov. ROH Chapter 9 Collection and Disposal of Refuse
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Department of Environmental Services. About Your Carts