HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0064.146 2010-2012Ikeda, Donald
From: Lauren Suzanne Zirbel [laurenzirbel @gmail.com)
Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2011 1:40 PM
To:
dyagong @co.hawaii.hi.us; dikeda @co.hawaii.hi.us; J S Yoshimoto; donishi @co,
fblas @co.hawaii.hi.us; bsmart@co.hawaii.hi.us; bford @co.hawaii.hi.us; apilago@p2, t awaii.hi.0 l
Hoffmann, Pete
Cc: Gary Hanagami
Subject: Re: Aloha from Hawaii Food Industry Association
Aloha Councilmembers,
7/7/2011
Page 1 of 2
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The Hawaii Food Industry Association would like to state our strong opposition to the
motion to rescind the motion for public hearings on the plastic bag ban.
It is undemocratic and unfair to disallow the public the opportunity to testify in their
community after work hours. The first public hearing was held on June 7th in Kea'au, with
the majority of the people opposed to the ban.
The remaining hearings deserved to be scheduled in order to give the residents of Pahoa,
Na`alehu, Hilo, Lapahoehoe, and Kona their democratic right to voice their opinion about
legislation which will affect the cost of food and beverages in their community.
Here are the food industry's main reasons why a fee bill is more consumer friendly and
environmentally friendly than a ban on plastic bags:
Why _ weshould implement a fee on ALL single use bags NOT just ban plastic bags:
• Paper bags take up about 6.5 times the volume of plastic bags in our shrinking landfills.
• Paper bags take 91% more energy to recycle than plastic bags.
• The production of paper bags generates 70% more air pollution than plastic bags.
• Plastic bags are manufactured on Oahu, while paper bags must be shipped to Hawaii
leaving a much larger carbon footprint.
• Paper bags are worse for the environment than plastic bags so we should not
force consumer to switch to paper bags while providing no incentive for them to
bring a reusable bag.
• A tax on plastic shopping bags in the Republic of Ireland has cut their use by more than
90% and raised millions of euros in revenue, the government says.
• The Republic of Ireland's tax of 15 cents per bag was introduced as an attempt to curb
litter, and the improvement was immediate and "plain to see ". (Environment Minister
Martin Cullen)
• Washington D.C. imposed a 5 cent per bag tax on retailers and restaurants. Within the
first month of the program, the average monthly number of bags used in D.C.
decreased over 80% from 22.5 million bags to just 3 million.
• The tax has already generated $150,000 to clean up the Anacostia River in DC.
• A tax on ALL single use bags places the cost onus where it should be, on the
bags! Banning Plastic bags increases the cost of business and does not
encourage consumers to bring their own bag. Comm. No. 0I t • I4
Ref. To: Pr i Ott
.
Ref. Dote g !1
Page 2 of 2
41ase talc a look at: http : / /www.savetheplasticbag.com
Thank you for the Opportunity to provide this testimony.
Lauren Zirbel
Hawaii Food Industry Association
Government and Community Relations
Direct Line: 808 - 294 -9968
On Wed, Jul 6, 2011 at 11:28 AM, Lauren Suzanne Zirbel <laurenzirbel @gmail.com> wrote:
Aloha Councilmembers,
The Hawaii Food Industry Association would like to share with you the attached flier which was
utilized in Los Angeles County. We would like you to keep this option in mind if you wish to pursue
legislation aiming to reduce the use of ALL single use bags.
The fliers tells shoppers to: "Bring your reusable bag every time you shop to avoid a .10 cent charge
for paper bags."
If a fee approach is utilized, as opposed to a simple ban, consumers will be more likely to use reusable
bags and not just switch to using paper bags.
Mahalo Nui Loa,
Lauren
Lauren Zirbel
Hawaii Food Industry Association
Government and Community Relations
Direct Line: 808 - 294 -9968
7/7/2011