HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0482.171 2024-2026From: Elana Jadallah o c-;,
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Sent: Tuesday, November 4, 2025 11:06 AM C:) rc-
To: Council Testimony j {
Subject: PLEASE Pass Bill 83 Tomorrow
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Aloha County Council Members, 10
My name is Elana Jadallah and I'm writing in from Kona to express my full support of Bill 8o
banning single -use plastics and mandating the use of recyclable or compostable foodware across
Hawaii County.
This issue could not be more urgent. Our beautiful island home one of the most biodiverse and sacred
places on Earth, is being choked by plastic. I've witnessed this for the past decade and while I have
organized many beach clean ups - pulling over a thousand pounds of plastic from our shorelines - I
know that cleanups are just a bandaid and that what we really need to do is shut off the source. We
can keep 'cleaning' our way out of this mess if as a community folks are still using single -use plastics
daily.
Polystyrene foam and single -use plastics litter our beaches, harm marine wildlife, and leach toxic
chemicals into our land, ocean and food supply. Once in the environment, these materials persist for
hundreds of years. This is a deeply ethical issue. Hawaii has long held values rooted in malama
'Sina—the care for our land and sea. Allowing plastic pollution to continue unabated is a betrayal of
those values and a threat to both public health and ecological balance.
This bill isn't just smart policy —it's a necessity. It's supported by countless environmental experts,
community members, and cultural leaders who know that we cannot afford the cost of inaction.
Please stand with us. PLEASE pass Bill 83. Our keiki, our oceans and our future depend on it.
Mahalo for your leadership.
With deep aloha and urgency,
Elana Jadallah
Kailua-Kona, HI, 9674o
Comm.
Ref. To:
Ref. Date NOV - 5 2025