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CO UN CIL
Murashige, Laura
From: Nakamura, Alan Y (Retail) [Alan.Y.Nakamura@tsocorp.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 9:51 AM
To: 'counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us'
Subject: RE: Bill 17
Attachments: Testimony against Bill 17 - Hilo hearing 12.21.11.pdf
My apologies...here is my signed testimony...thank you!
From: Nakamura, Alan Y (Retail)
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 9:10 AM
To: 'counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us'
Subject: Bill 17
Please relay this personal testimony to Councilman Dominic Yagong...thank you!
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Ref. To:
Ref. Date OEC 2 1 2011 •
12/20/2011
Date: December 21, 2011
Time:5:00 PM
Location: Hawaii County Council, 25 Aupuni Street, Hilo.
Re: Bill 17
Dear Dominic Yagong, Chairperson and Members of the Hawai'i County Council,
This legislation harms consumers and increases their most basic cost of living, food.
Please consider, as an alternative, a small fee on bags to encourage people to bring their
own reusable bags to retailers when shopping. This would have a far greater impact on
reducing litter and helping to decrease the burden on our landfills.
Please review the key facts shown below before making a decision about this bill.
Why we should NOT ban plastic bags:
• The ULS San Francisco survey found that all food chains affected by the ordinance had
switched to paper bags only. There was NO increase in reusable bag use.
Why we should implement a fee on ALL single use bags:
• This will bring revenue to the County.
• A fee on 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.
• Washington D.C. imposed a 5 cent per bag fee 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 fee has already
generated substantial funds to clean up the Anacostia River.
• Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty points out that the fee on plastic bags is not to charge
consumers out of using bags —or to burden them financially anymore than they may
be with grocery store prices—but to encourage shoppers to avoid a fee in the first
place by using reusable shopping bags.
Thank you so much for your time and careful consideration!
Sincerely,
i
Alan Y. Nakamura