The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0064.014 2010-2012 Page 1 of 1 Murashige, Laura ?N(� . oa w ;= P/a i From: Richard Lionheart [richawaii @yahoo.com] Ir, <, �,'.# 1 !7 Sent: Monday, January 31, 2011 11:54 AM To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us Subject: FOR ALL COUNCIL MEMBERS Attachments: plastic bag ban- 11.doc To: County council, Could you make sure that all county council members receive a copy of this testimony regarding a bill they will take up tomorrow, Tuesday? It is a WORD file. with aloha Richard Lionheart Hilo, Hawaii 959 -4757 Comm. No. Ref. To: 1/31/2011 Ref. Date F,_ R._.' '°tom To Hawaii County Council Members: Sunday, January 30, 2011 It is upsetting to see how some Hawaii County Council Members are wasting time and taxpayer money by conjuring more laws and burdens upon Hawaii citizens through another bill banning plastic shopping bags. This commodity is used not only as a shopping bag, but is re -used many times over and over and eventually is recycled at KTA, Wal -Mart, Safeway and at several recycling centers with great success. I have asked over 100 people for their opinion regarding the banning of plastic shopping bags. Except for a few purist who believe plastic shopping bags from our island end -up in the plastic sea and kill numerous sea animals, the great majority said that they used plastic shopping bags to line waste baskets, diaper pans, carry wet items like swim suits, fruits and vegetables, put their recyclable glass, cans, plastic bottles, plastics and newspapers into, and the list goes on. Everyone had a storage place for plastic bags in the closet to use for the many occasions that only a plastic bag can fill. Most people said that they would have to buy plastic bags if the council approves this bill, defeating the purpose of the law. Mr. Hoffman wants to change people's behavior through more legislation, with no evidence to justify this action. These purists make Big Island folks who use plastic bags sound like we are the cause of a major source of pollution, and that instilling more laws and penalties will solve some of the worlds' problems. Meanwhile, thousands of tons of poisonous gases are spewed out from our power plants, vehicles, ships, airplanes and the military. What about the laws that prohibit scavenging, allowing tons of re- usable products to be destroyed. What about all the oil, asbestos, and trash that drain and pollute our waters? What about all the packaging that force us to tackle with knife and scissors just to get a one -gram memory card? What about the waste in government? Some council members and purists continue to make laws that control every aspect of responsible citizen's lives in order to control the few irresponsible delinquents found in any society. Yes Mr. Hoffman, and you purists, you will change our habits. You will force us to consume less and recycle less. We will throw everything into the trashcan, and dump it all at once, saving us time, space and money. If you are really concerned about waste, pollution and trash, you should start in your own backyard. Look at the waste government creates when whole buildings are bulldozed and end up in our dump. What about the independent trash haulers that compete to haul peoples trash without any recycling program in place! There are 3 rubbish companies that speed down our street once a week and throw everything away even when their customers tie newspapers along with plastic bags full of bottles and cans blindly hoping that that these companies will recycle their recyclables. It all ends up in the dump. Is this smart policy or plain ignorance? What about changing the destructive and wasteful policies that are used to remove old, outdated, inferior or damaged products from store shelves. I saw one store use their employees to cut -up a container full of brand new mattresses so no one could use them, and had them hauled to our dump. I bought a ladder at one of our large retail outlets, which rusted on me within a month. When I returned it, the management saw that a whole load of aluminum ladders where rusting. Store policy requires total destruction and secure removal. That means employees had to cut -up the ladders, and instead of recycling the aluminum, hauled another truckload of perfect recyclable matter to our dump. I have seen boxes of books being thrown away from bookstores every month. I could go on, but I would just be wasting my time. You have wasted millions of our money for consulting firm to help solve the trash problem. Where are the results? What a waste! The real problem is government and department policies. There is no longer common sense, responsible and accountable people to serve the people and to run our county business in an 1 efficient and practical way. Back inn 2008, Ms. Leithead Todd, director of the Department f Environmental Management says some of the larger stores favor a ban on free bags. Why could she not name the stores? I inquired with two of our largest retailers about the ban and they denied any support whatsoever. It is this kind of government activity that causes inflation and customer service to degrade society further into a third world standard of living. Carol Pregill, president of Retail Merchants of Hawaii, opposed the ban, warning that such measure would lead to unintended consequences, such as higher cost for consumers. Not to mention consumer health risk caused by dangerous bacteria that are found growing on re- usable shopping bags. Another fact is that the majority of paper bags are thrown away after one use, as storing them also causes a health hazard by providing a perfect environment for cockroaches, unlike plastic bags. Some council members want us to carry a load of cloth bags in our cars to do our shopping with, and if you don't have enough to bag all your groceries, you can ask for a paper bag that has no old growth fibers and has at least 40% recycled content and is fully recyclable, or you can ask the checker to get you a box if available. I have asked store managers about the ban. They warn that they will have to start charging for paper bags, as they are bulky, heavy and more expensive then plastic bags. The energy to make paper bags far outweighs the energy to make plastic bags, plus it takes many trees to make paper bags as compared to one pound of plastic that makes hundreds of 8 -liter bags. You council members want to change our habits of re -using and recycling plastic shopping bags for the few irresponsible people who don't recycle and will never change their habits no matter what the law is. You will force us to look for and buy plastic bags, as there is nothing that can replace their qualities and uses. There is just enough room for 3 cloth bags under the seat in our car. We get our .15 cents and are always thankful for the plastic bags the clerk uses to bag the rest of our groceries. They will be used wisely and recycled just like our cans, bottles, plastics, papers and green waste, all of which are put in plastic shopping bags. Plastic shopping bags are not just practical and convenient; they are the most re- useable and recyclable commodity in our society. Most retailers offer a 5 cents rebate for personal bags and do not penalize their customers for not having a bag. Some stores have put their logos on the cloth bags as a form of free advertising. Yes Mr. Hoffman, you will force us change our habits. We will buy less, we will recycle less, and our homes and garages will be cleaner and less cluttered. We will save gas and time, as we will only have to make one stop to dump our one trashcan. Thank you. By the way, the ban of plastic bags in San Francisco has just increased the sales for plastic shopping bags. It is too early to measure the results and facts from the plastic shopping bag band on Maui and Kauai. I suggest you prioritize and focus on real issues, and stop making laws that constrict business, entrepreneurship and jobs. Leave it to the government, fear and self- righteous purists to mess a good thing and to waste more time on stupid policies. Richard Lionheart Hilo, Hawaii 959 -4757 2