Honolulu Trash Pickup & Garbage Schedule 2026

The Department of Environmental Services provides two main curbside collection types based on location: automated cart service for most Oʻahu homes and manual refuse collection in some narrower streets where automated trucks cannot access the route. This page focuses mainly on the automated 3-cart system because that is what most single-family households use.

How to Find Your Honolulu Trash Pickup Day

Honolulu’s official schedule search is the easiest way to confirm your exact curbside calendar. This matters because the city uses paired service days such as Monday/Thursday, Tuesday/Friday, or Wednesday/Saturday, and the order of refuse versus blue/green collection can vary by area.

1. Open the official cart schedule page. Go to View Your Cart Collection Schedule.
2. Enter your exact address. Honolulu’s collection schedule is address-based, not just neighborhood-based.
3. Check both collection days. The city says automated carts are serviced on one of these paired schedules: Monday/Thursday, Tuesday/Friday, or Wednesday/Saturday.
4. Review which cart goes out on which day. One collection day is for gray-cart refuse, and the other is for recycling pickup, alternating weekly between the green and blue carts.
5. Save your calendar. This helps because blue and green carts alternate every other week instead of going out together each week.

Honolulu Trash Pickup Schedule: What Runs When

Most city-served Honolulu homes follow the automated 3-cart system. The gray cart is your weekly refuse cart. The green and blue carts are each collected once every two weeks, alternating weekly with each other.

The city’s cart page notes that some areas see refuse first and recycling second, while other areas see the reverse. That is why the official schedule search is better than relying on a generic citywide chart.

Honolulu Gray, Blue, and Green Cart System

Honolulu’s automated system uses a three-cart setup for most single-family homes: gray for refuse, blue for mixed recyclables, and green for green waste.

Honolulu also allows additional carts for some households that consistently generate more material than will fit in the standard set. Extra blue and green carts follow city rules, and qualifying for a second gray cart requires city monitoring of non-recyclable trash volume.

Honolulu Set-Out Rules

Honolulu’s curbside rules are clear, but timing and cart placement still matter a lot for a smooth pickup.

• Place refuse at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on collection days.
• Do not set materials out before 6:00 p.m. on the previous evening.
• Keep containers on your property on non-collection days.
• Securely bag all refuse, especially loose lightweight material and organics.
• Return automated carts to your property after they are emptied.

For manual collection neighborhoods, the city says refuse containers should be no larger than 35 gallons and should not exceed 75 pounds per container.

Honolulu Bulky Item Pickup

Honolulu no longer uses the old once-a-month bulky item setup. Bulky item collection is by appointment only, and residents must schedule before placing items at the curb.

Bulky appointment basics:

• Appointments can be made online through the city’s bulky appointment system.
• If you need help scheduling, call (808) 768-3200.
• Single-family homes may schedule up to five bulky items per collection appointment.
• Single-family homes may also schedule up to two metal appliances per separate appliance appointment.
• Items should be curbside from 6:00 p.m. the night before the appointment.

1. Schedule before you set anything out. Honolulu uses appointment-only bulky collection.
2. List the correct items. The city says items not included in the appointment will be left behind.
3. Use the correct timing. Put bulky items out no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before the appointment.
4. Keep the frontage clean. Residents are expected to keep their property frontage free of unscheduled bulky waste between appointments.
5. Use drop-off facilities for overflow. If you have more items than the appointment allows, city refuse drop-off facilities are the recommended backup option.

Honolulu 2026 Holiday Trash Schedule

Honolulu’s refuse crews observe only two holidays each year: Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Those holiday rules work differently for the gray cart than they do for blue and green carts.

The city also says bulky items will not be scheduled on those two holidays, and convenience centers, transfer stations, H-POWER, and Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill are closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

What to Do If Honolulu Missed Your Pickup

Honolulu directs residents to contact their local collection yard or the Refuse Division when they believe a cart or bulky appointment was missed.

1. Check the schedule first. Blue and green carts alternate weekly, and holiday rules can affect only some streams.
2. Make sure the cart was accessible. The city notes blocked carts, heavy carts, or improperly prepared waste as common reasons for non-collection.
3. For missed automated carts, contact the local collection yard. Use the city’s missed-pickup reporting options or call the public line.
4. For missed bulky appointments, verify the correct items were out before 6 a.m. on appointment day.
5. Call or email the city if needed. Honolulu says missed bulky pickups can be reported to collection@honolulu.gov or by calling (808) 768-3200.

Honolulu Waste Drop-Off and Disposal Options

When something does not belong at the curb, Honolulu provides convenience centers, transfer stations, composting options, and landfill/disposal facilities around Oʻahu.

Frequently Asked Questions About Honolulu Trash Pickup

Official Honolulu Trash Collection Resources

Reminder: In Honolulu, gray refuse, blue recyclables, green waste, and bulky items do not all follow the same rules, so checking your exact address and stream before set-out is the safest way to avoid a missed collection.