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Meet the Team
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Jonathan Pells

Co-Founder

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Levi Pells

Co-Founder

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Chico

Intern

About Us

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Our Mission

To us, it is important not just to make people FEEL like they are doing good, but to actually DO something good.

 

That's why we are committed to: 

  • Reducing the contamination rate so items can actually be recycled

  • Educating our customers about what can and can't be recycled

  • Digging deeper to understand where the recyclables are going

  • Improving our operations to minimize waste (fuel, trash bins/bags)

  • Paying our employees well instead of taking a big paycheck

  • Partnering with local artisans to upcycle, compost, and re-use whenever possible

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Our pilot program began in October 2023, initially responding to the devastating Kula wildfires that increased plastic use as aid reached Upper Kula. For 6 months we provided a free monthly curbside collection and surveyed our participants to learn how best to meet their needs.​

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Now that we have seen what a difference the community can make for landfill diversion, we are on a mission to service all of Upcountry. 

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Together, we can build a more sustainable future for our island home!

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Our Backgrounds

Upcountry Recycling Program co-founders are brothers Levi & JD Pells. Both grew up on the foothills of beautiful Haleakalā and are graduates of Seabury Hall ('12 & '18). 

 

JD has a passion for storytelling and serving the community. He writes for local news outlet Maui Now, while actively spearheading our Operations, Investigation, and Education. His favorite part is seeing people come together for the common goal of creating a greener Upcountry.

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Levi spent nearly 7 years living in Japan, where he learned about state-of-the-art recycling methods. As an ex-headhunter he has a passion for connecting people and wants to build a sustainable organization that will help Maui. He takes the lead on sales/marketing and sustainable partnerships.

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Our Story
For years growing up in Kula, we didn’t recycle. We had grown accustomed to throwing all waste into the "brown" cart, even though we felt guilty about it.
 
After hearing the news about the landfill filling up in 5-7 years and being inspired by the power of the community upcountry who responded to the fires, we decided to start recycling properly and do it for a few neighbors.
 
Then, we realized the reality of how time consuming and confusing it can be. Cardboard piles up quickly, may require a big car, and can be labor intensive. Also, can glass be recycled? What if it's broken? Which plastics are ok? And where does this all go?​
 
The deeper we got into the recycling story, the more we realized the lack of transparency. No one seemed to be able to answer basic questions about where items are sent and how they are processed.
 
(Newsflash: a lot of what they tell us is being recycled isn't. And even recyclable items are being put into the landfill because of "contamination")​
 
Our solution: Do it ourselves. We created this curbside recycling program committed to real recycling. We endeavor to serve the community at an affordable rate, reduce contamination, upcycle and compost when possible, and actually reduce the waste building up in the landfill.
 
Join us to make a difference for the future of our home!
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