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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0482.214 2024-2026COUNTY CLERK COUNTY OF HAWAit Testimony in Support of Bill 83 County Council of Hawai'i Island M5 NOV > 5 0i*j 10: 00 Hearing on November 5, 2025, in Hilo Dear County Council, My name is Natalie Wohner, avid water woman, core volunteer for the Surfrider Foundation O'ahu Chapter and former Ocean Friendly Restaurants program coordinator. I am in strong support of Bill 83, to ban disposable foodware and serviceware made from plastics (including polystyrene) on Hawai'! Island. Plastics are designed to last forever, therefore they are not appropriate materials as disposable items with no clear end -of -life management and dramatic impacts on our health, safety, and environment. Plastic is problematic from the point of raw material extraction to its eventual disposal and dispersion. Roughly two-thirds of all plastic ever produced remains in the environment —either as pollution in oceans and other landscapes, as microparticles in air, soil, and rain, or as microparticles in humans and animals.' There are five main reasons why I support this bill. 1. Source Reduction: Bill 83 takes proactive measures targeting a significant category of plastic pollution, disposable plastics. Recycling is not only a reactive measure but is very clearly not the solution to plastic pollution 2 In 2015, over 400 million metric tons of plastic were produced worldwide, and an estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic are going into the ocean as pollution every year. Only a dismal 9% of plastics are recycled,12% of plastics are incinerated, and the remaining 79% plastic waste ends up going to landfills or polluting the environment 3 The first resort must be source reduction of plastic, which is the focus of this bill. 2. Protection of the Environment and Public Health: This policy would address disposable plastic foodware and serviceware, such as plates, cups, utensils, and straws. Disposable foodware and serviceware items are consistently one of the top items collected at beach clean-ups.^ Plastics made of polypropylene or polystyrene often float on the water's surface when littered due to their relatively light density. Plastic fragments floating on the ocean's surface look like food to many animals, including fish and birds, most notably the Laysan Albatross. One study estimates that nearly 90% of the world's seabirds have eaten plastic.' Plastic pollution is not limited to our oceans. Plastics also plague national, state and city parks, clog drains and waterways and disrupt the aesthetics of our environments. The 2016 Hawai'i DOT Trash Reduction Plans recognizes ordinances to ban single -use carryout plastic bags and polystyrene foam food serviceware as the most effective control measures for trash reduction and stormwater management in Hawaii 28% of debris in Oahu's storm drains are disposable plastics! Poor drainage resulting from ' Center for International Environmental Law, Plastic & Health, The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet (Feb. 2019). 2 Hocevar, John, Circular Claims Fall Flat: Comprehensive U.S. Survey of Plastics Recyclability, Greenpeace Reports (Feb. 2020). 3 Geyer, R., Jambeck, J.R. & Law, K.L., Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made, science Advances, Vol. 3, No. 7 (2017) 4 hftos,//cleanuos.surfrider.ore/results/ s. Wilcox, Chris, Van Sebille, Erik & Hardesty, Britta Denise, Threat of plastic pollution to seabirds is global, pervasive, and increasing, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United Slates of America (Aug. 2015). a Trash Reduction Plan. Hawai'i Department of Transportation (HDOT), O'ahu District, October 2016 , Comm. ��" Ref. To: Ref. Date =5 disposable plastic litter clogging storm drains contributed to devastating floods in Bangladesh? and Mumbaie, causing several deaths. Please do not have this happen in Hawai'i. The cost to clean up our stone drains to prevent flooding is a burden on us tax -payers. Tax funds could be used elsewhere. 3. Petroleum -Based Plastics contribute to Climate Change: The sale of disposable plastics generates avoidable greenhouse gas emissions throughout the process 9 From extraction of oil to manufacturing, from transportation to disposal, each of these steps generates emissions. In the disposable foodware sector, one of the biggest costs is transportation, items are often imported and shipped over 2,500 miles from the mainland to the islands. Even when those items are recycled there are still emissions from manufacturing and transport. When these items end up in the aqueous environment as plastic fragments, then they release methane and ethylene during degradation when exposed to full solar radiation according to a 2018 UH Manoa 70 4. Protection of Public Health: By prohibiting disposable plastic foodware items, Bill 83 protects consumer's health. Polystyrene items contain toxic chemicals such as styrene and benzene. Both monomers are considered carcinogenic by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and can lead to additional health complications, including adverse effects on the nervous, respiratory and reproductive systems, and possibly on the kidneys and liver. Polystyrene food serviceware leaches styrene into the food. The amount of styrene that migrates into foods and liquids strongly depends on fat content and temperature, being highest for hot and fatty foods. Plastics in the ocean and waterways accumulate toxins and chemicals on their surface. If ingested by wildlife, these toxins move up the food chain and may end up in our bodies. 5. Plastic Reduction Programs in Hawai'i - It Worksl Surfrider Foundation's Ocean Friendly Restaurants" program works with local restaurants to transition away from single -use plastics and focusing on reusable foodware to save resources and money. The Hawaii Green Business program12 recognizes hotels and restaurants for their sustainable business practices, including not using disposable plastics. O'ahu and Maui have passed similar bans on disposable plastics in 2019 and 2020, respectively, which have been successfully implemented by most restaurants. By following O'ahu's and Maui's lead, Bill 83 would create a more consistent policy landscape for restaurants and distributors, encourage reusable foodware, and enhance the market for sustainable takeout container solutions. The Hawai'i islands stand as symbols of sustainability, conservation, and environmental education for millions of residents and visitors. In order to preserve the aina and these values for generations to come, strong policies and enforcements to effectively ban disposable plastics entirely from our islands are crucial to protect the public and our environment! Mahalo for your time and giving me the chance to support Bill 83, Natalie Wohner Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering M.S. Materials Science and Engineering iaj