HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0482.116 2024-2026(,,re-*,00*00
Recycle Hawai'i
COUN1 Y CLERK
COUNTY OF tiA1M.
2075 OCT -7 F,i1 10: 16
RE: IN STRONG SUPPORT OF BILL 83
TO: The Honorable Rebecca Villegas,
Chair of the Policy Committee on Environmental and Natural Resource Management
Thank you to Chair Villegas, Councilwoman Galimba and all the council members and
staffers who have contributed to this important initiative. This testimony adds to our
previously stated support by addressing concerns raised by those engaged in the
County's EPA funded reuse pilot program. Below are some of. the comments that have
been brought to our attention. If there are any we missed or others arise as part of the
conversation, we would appreciate the opportunity to address them as well.
1) Keeping reusables in the bill gives food providers more options, which may
lead more people to support the bill. This statement speaks directly to the greatest
concern we have regarding amendments. Adding reusables as a qualifying option will
lead to the use of thicker gauge plastic unless there is a specific prohibition on its use.
We find the language in section (d) of Councilwoman Kagiwada's amendments to be an
effective remedy for this concern. We ask the bill makers to accept these amendments
in toto, and ask all council members to ensure every one of them is part of the final bill.
2) The County has invested time and effort in supporting reusables and securing
funding for a reusables program. We should build on this investment, not let it go
to waste. The position that this bill would lay county efforts to waste is untenable and
the thinking behind it illogical. The county program is a pilot program that is a long way
from delivering on its core objective of determining whether or not a reuse system for
takeout containers will be used and accepted by the public and food vendors. As such, i
would be inappropriate to "build on" a program like this prior to its conclusion. We must
wait for the outcomes and allow time for thoughtful analysis before introducing policies
aimed at incentivizing reuse.
3) If we wait and put reusables in a separate bill, food providers may have already
invested in other types of foodware, making it burdensome for them to put time,
effort, and money into another major change to accommodate reusables. This
position is equally illogical. There is a huge difference between stockpiles that get
disposed and stockpiles that get reused. Bill 83, which includes a phase -in provision,
addresses disposable food ware that gets ordered on a rolling basis and used in short
order. Phasing in allows vendors to exhaust existing stockpiles. In the case of
disposables, single -use plastic items would be used before the transition to
compostables occurs; when it comes to a future bill related to reusables, compostables
could be used before an optional transition to reusables would occur. ,
Comm. o
Ref. To:
Ref. Date
Bottomline, we are a long, long way from addressing the issue of how to best incentivize
reuse strategies. We need to take the critical first step of moving away from single -use
plastic food ware while the county reuse program rolls out. Once the reuse program
ends, we will be well and smartly positioned to amend the county ordinance in ways that
appropriately incentivize the use of non -plastic reusables.
We also want to address a widely shared assertion that compostables cannot be
managed outside the landfill until the County builds a commercial composting facility.
This assertion undermines progress towards achieving our goals primarily because it is
based on an untenable presumption that bioplastics are an inalienable component of
the organic resource stream, but also because there are other ways to break down BPI
certified bioplastic materials. This can be done in in -vessel composting machines, and
by shredding these materials and adding them to piles that are raised to a high enough
temperature. Further, there is a whole class of materials produced from PHB that are
backyard compostable and don't need any special treatment. Hard to process bioplastic
compostables will eventually be replaced by PHB—the material the black AirCarbon
straws found at many local restaurants and hotels throughout the state are made from.
Finally, there is a great deal of innovation in this space around food ware made from
natural materials like leaves. Hawaii is well positioned to create a cottage industry in
response to demand for these products which are readily composted through low tech
approaches deployed across a network of community -scale composting operations.
Hawaii Island is home to a robust, albeit informal, network more than capable of
composting the materials generated when Bill 83 passes, especially those materials
generated at events, which is going to be the frontline for the bill's impact. Through our
own EPA funded program in Kau, students have already diverted over 16,000 pounds of
organic materials. Organics do not have to end up in the landfill, they can be composted
here, now. Passage of the bill will compel the county to collaborate with those actively
engaged in diverting organic materials in ways that formalize their activities.
Clearly the public and the private businesses impacted by the bill's passage will need
support. Recycle Hawaii is prepared to provide that support. We have submitted a
proposal to the R&D Impact Grant that would establish a model, small scale community
based composting operation in District 5. We will once again apply for a Waiwai Grant
that would fund the direct provision of such services to event organizers and businesses
as they move towards compliance with the bill's provisions.
Mahalo for your efforts to advance the cause of eliminating plastic pollution.
Kristine Kubat
Executive Director
Recycle Hawaii
808-747-4246
director@recyclehawaii.org
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