HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0482.333 2024-2026From: Maki Morinoue
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Sent: Tuesday, December 2, 2025 12:58 AM
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To: Council Testimony
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Subject: Support Bill 83, Draft 2
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Aloha Chair and Councilmembers,
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My name is Maki Morinoue, and I am submitting testimony in strong, unwavering support
of Bill 83, Draft 2,
with no amendments, no exemptions, and no delays. Our county has waited long enough. Our environment
has waited long enough. Our community deserves action —not excuses.
Bill 83 Is the Natural Next Step in Hawaii County's Proven Success
When Hawaii County took bold, science -based action in 2017—banning toxic sunscreen chemicals, closing
Kahalu'u Bay during coral spawning, and restricting poisonous herbicides —we witnessed one of the most
extraordinary reef recoveries. From just six living corals in 2016, after mass bleaching, to over 47,000 today
in Kahalu'u Bay, we proved what happens when legislation is clear, uncompromised, and universally
enforced.
Strong bans work.
Half -measures do not.
The Department of Environmental Management's (DEM) Concerns Are Not Reasons to Stall —They Are
Reasons to Pass This Bill Now
DEM has expressed hesitation about:
• not having proper composting facilities for biodegradable plastic alternatives,
not having staff or funding to implement the transition.
These are the exact same arguments that industries and departments have used for decades to stall
environmental progress.
If we waited for every department to be fully funded before passing transformative policy, Hawai'i would still be
using lead paint, and asbestos, and spraying glyphosate in playgrounds and waterways, and using chemical
sunscreen that sterilizes our coral.
The lack of composting capacity is not a justification to keep poisoning our islands with petroleum plastic. It is
a wake-up call that our county needs to invest in modem waste systems —systems we will need regardless of
whether this bill passes.
We cannot keep using outdated, 1960s-era waste infrastructure as a shield to defend 21 st-century toxic
pollution.
The Truth: Compostable Alternatives Do Not Require Industrial Composting to Be Safer
Plant -based, fiber -based, seaweed -based, and agricultural waste —based materials: Ref.
To:
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do not break into microplastics, ReC _
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• do not leach endocrine -disrupting toxins,
• do not persist for hundreds of years,
• do not bioaccumulate in our bodies and wildlife.
The "we don't have composting" argument distracts from the real issue:
Petroleum plastics are poisoning our people and our environment right now.
We already know microplastics are in:
• our sand,
• our freshwater,
• rainfall,
• reef fish,
• turtles and seabirds,
• human lungs,
• human placentas,
• human blood, heart/testicular tissue, semen, and breast milk
An average person now consumes one credit card of plastic each week. That's peer -reviewed science.
Let's call this for what it is: A delay tactic, not a technical barrier.
The County Already Struggles to Enforce Existing Laws —Loopholes Will Destroy This Bill
Right now, we already cannot enforce:
• affordable housing requirements,
• illegal vacation rental regulations,
• basic property tax compliance for the wealthiest owners,
• environmental protections like the aquarium fishery.
Introducing exemptions, special cases, or "until we build composting facilities" or "have enough staff', creates a
bill we cannot enforce and will not enforce.
A clean, uniform law:
• prevents loopholes,
• protects small businesses by ensuring fairness,
• requires no specialized enforcement staff,
• and accelerates the transition everyone knows is coming.
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Our Businesses Are Already Ahead —Government Should Not Be the One Holding
Them Back
Across the island, responsible businesses have voluntarily transitioned to safer, biodegradable, non -toxic
materials. They did it without subsidies, without special enforcement, and without waiting for the Department of
Environmental Management (DEM) to build a composting facility or hire staff.
They did it because it's the right thing to do.
The industry is evolving. Schools are evolving. Restaurants are evolving.
DEM needs to evolve too, not block progress because they are unprepared.
This Bill Protects the Integrity, Safety, and Future of Hawaii
Petroleum plastics last for centuries.
Microplastics last for millennia.
But the decisions you make today will last even longer.
By passing Bill 83 today:
• you protect the health of our keiki,
• you protect our reefs and fisheries,
• you align Hawai'i with global sustainability standards,
• and you support a thriving circular economy based on innovation, not toxicity.
This bill is not radical —it is responsible.
It is not extreme —it is overdue.
It is not impractical —we already have the materials, businesses, and community support to implement it.
In closing, I urge you to:
• Stand with science.
• Stand with the Hawaii Island small businesses already doing the right thing.
• Stand with our future generations.
• Stand with aloha `aina.
Please pass Bill 83, Draft 2, exactly as written.
No delays. No exemptions. No amendments.
Our island cannot afford more plastic pollution, more microplastics in our bodies, or more bureaucratic
excuses.
Mahalo nui loa for your time and your commitment to protecting Hawai'i Island.
Respectfully,
Maki Morinoue
Holualoa