HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0482.295 2024-2026From: Alesha Makuakane G cJ
Sent: Tuesday, December 2, 2025 10:11 AM qr�
To: Council Testimony ram,, CD
Subject: Rojelin Capueta Support Bill 83
Aloha, I am Rojelin Capueta, a Junior in Kau Highschool who is in support of Bill 83 $ ti
Our Malama Aina Compostables program has a goal, and that is to minimize the
amount of waste going into the landfill through recycling and composting. But these
things mean so much more to us, it's where we learn to be people who take initiative of
a problem one step at a time in order to fix it. Our consistent actions have a real
impact.. not just towards the landfill.. but towards the aina. As Zero Waste Youth
Advocates, we promise to take care of the aina. But this promise is fragile and if the
single -use plastic ban doesn't pass, programs like ours and the values we are taught are
in danger.
For our program and for every similar program trying to keep waste out of our
landfill, plastic is a threat. If the ban doesn't pass, it would feel like a betrayal of all of
our efforts. It tells us that our dedication in environmental sustainability and taking care
of the aina is completely powerless against the endless amount of plastic that
companies keep creating. If the ban fails, plastic will continue to fill our landfills and we
don't have much time left until our only landfill in Kona reaches its full capacity. In
addition to that, the compost that we work so hard to create will inevitably become
contaminated with microplastics, which makes it unusable to the community -whom we
give it out to. That is why we need help, we need a policy to cut off the source of the
plastic waste, or programs like ours are powerless against a system that a single law can
fix. We can't fix this problem alone.
Mahalo,
Rojelin Capueta
Pahala 96777
Me ke aloha,
Ulu Makuakane
Recycle Hawaii - EPA REO Grant Program Program Director 1qS
www recyclehawaii QW Comm.
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