Honolulu has just rolled out the final phase of its curbside recycling program, which now covers about 160,000 homes across Oahu.

Since 2008, the average tonnage of recyclables set out in blue recycling bins has dropped as the program has been incrementally spread to more homes. In 2008, the city collected an average of 23 pounds of recyclables per household. That dropped to 21 pounds in 2009. For the first two months of 2010, the average collection was 19 pounds.

The city said that the decrease in volume correlates with the falling circulation rates of Honolulu newspapers, which added heft to the recycling loads. That’s not to say that the program hasn’t met some success. Since the program first started in 2008, more than 2,000 tons of paper, plastic, glass and other recyclables have been diverted from the landfill.

For more information about the city’s curbside recycling program, visit http://www.opala.org. Join the discussion on Honolulu-related issues here.