The city is ending its drop-off recycling program and will ramp up its curbside pick-up efforts. It says it’ll save $1.5 million a year from the change.

That’s according to a press release from the Department of Environmental Services this morning. Here are some of the details:

ENV’s community recycling bin program was the mainstay for residential recycling, growing from 20 sites in 1990 to 100 locations today. Over the years, the program helped strengthen community support for recycling and educating our youth. However, with decreased public use, the once cost-efficient system is no longer viable. By closing the program, the City will save about $1.5 million annually and refocus resources to further develop more convenient recycling options for Oahu residents.

The convenience of curbside recycling diverted more than 70 percent of the recyclables from the old drop-off bins. Currently, approximately 160,000 homes have curbside recycling with blue and green carts, capturing 20,000 tons of mixed recyclables and more than 50,000 tons of green waste annually.

(Photo from opala.org)