HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0482.336 2024-2026From: Chris Okano
Sent: Tuesday, December 2, 2025 10:31 AM
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To: Council Testimony
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Subject: Bill 83 Draft 2 Testimony 12/3/2025
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Dear Chair Inaba, Vice Chair Onishi and Members of the Hawaii County Council,
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My name is Chris Okano and I have been operating Kitchen Umeko, a 100%take-out restaurant for
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last 5 years at 14. W Lanikaula St. in Hilo.
From the perspective of a small business potentially affected by this proposed legislation, there are two
basic conditions that need to exist in order for compostable single use take-out food containers to be
diverted from the landfill and successfully composted:
1. The underlying technology and availability of the compostable single use container must perform
at the same level as traditional single use container with respect to durability, sanitation/food
safety and availability.
2. Fully functioning Industrial scale composting facilities AND a fully functioning process/support
from the public to get single use compostable containers to the presently non existing
composting facility.
Based on our experience, the compostable single use containers that are on the market today are not
quite up to the standards of traditional single use containers when it comes to durability and fitness for
purpose for all of our applications.
A takeawayfood business cannot be successful if the customer cannot take the food away and enjoy it
as it is meant to be enjoyed. We acknowledge that some of these compostable containers may be "good
enough" for some applications today, but not for all applications at this moment.
We do use an 8 oz PLA deli container that performs identically to the conventional one, but the
community derives no benefit as it ends up in the landfill and it costs 33% more, costs that get passed
along one way or another.
I have heard some members of the Council argue about immateriality with respect to cost increase,
which is easy to say when you cannot grasp the sum of all the cost increases, we are experiencing out of
our control (hello Young Brothers). These very -same people are soon to be a recipient of a 6 figure base
salary with benefits for a part time job, fully funded staff and no restrictions on outside employment. It
comes off as tone deaf, ignorant and entitled, we can only hope the voters are paying attention.3,
Comm.
1 Ref. To:
Ref. Date
In conclusion, it is premature to enact Bill 83 in any form, it is putting the cart before the horse. It will not
meet its stated objective in absence of an industrial -scale composting facility and the desire of the
public to sort their garbage and return it to the designated location.
1 believe that Hawaii County should first get its industrial composting facility working properly at scale,
demonstrate that the people will actually sort their waste or will be provided an easy means to do so.
If the County takes care of those two things first (let's be honest we are looking at 5 years minimum if we
are lucky)1 am 100% certain that the compostable food container technology and availability will have
caught up to the standards of traditional single use containers. Then and only then would be the right
time for Bill 83 or similar legislation to pass, but no sooner than that.
Sincerely,
Chris Okano