HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0064.238 2010-2012 Page 1 of 1 •
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Murashige, Laura
From: Sue Vang [suevang @cawrecycles.org]
Sent: Monday, December 19, 2011 10:29 AM
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Bill 17, Plastic Bag Reduction -Support
Attachments: C4R testimony Hawaii County Bill 17_Dec21.pdf
To Whom It May Concern,
On behalf of Campaign for Recycling (C4R), a national nonprofit environmental advocacy and research
organization that advocates for waste reduction and recycling laws, I respectfully submit a letter in support of
•
Bill 17, which amends Chapter 14 of the Hawaii County Code and prohibits distribution of single-use carryout
plastic bags.
Thank you for your leadership on this issue.
Sincerely,
Sue Vang
Policy Associate I Campaign For Recycling
921 11th Street,Suite 420 I Sacramento, CA 95814
(p) 916-551-1751 I (f) 916-443-3912 ._. n
www.campaignforrecycling.org C -i
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Ref. Date DEC 21 2011
12/19/2011
CA 'AIGN FOR RECYCLING
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Written testimony in favor of Bill 17, before the Hawaii County Council on December 21, 2012.
Campaign for Recycling (C4R), a national nonprofit environmental advocacy and research
organization that advocates for waste reduction and recycling laws, supports Bill 17, which
amends Chapter 14 of the Hawaii County Code by adding a new article relating to plastic bag
reduction.
Recycling is not a solution for plastic bag litter
C4R has worked with retailers, bag manufacturers and local and state governments in an effort to
try to manage single-use plastic bags through recycling. However, even in California which has
established the largest collection infrastructure for any single material in the state, efforts to
manage single-use plastic bags through recycling have failed. The CA statewide recycling rate in
2009 was a mere 3%. Furthermore,the small percentage that is recycled anywhere is cost-
prohibitive, because the market price for bales of plastic bags is substantially offset by the
logistical costs of collecting, transporting, and handling the bags for baling and recycling.
Plastic bags harm the environment
Single-use plastic bags are a costly, environmentally damaging, and easily preventable source of
litter and pollution. Light and aerodynamic,plastic bags are uniquely litter-prone even when
properly disposed of, and pose a serious threat to the marine environment. When they are no
longer visible to the naked eye, plastic bags are still not fully gone but instead have broken down
through photo-degradation into tiny particles. These particles then attract surrounding toxins and,
when mistaken as a food source, contaminate the food chain. Plastic pollution has killed
thousands of marine birds, sea turtles and other species and threatens Hawaii's ocean-based
economy. Plastic bags are also easily transported into the environment to clog storm drains, litter
beaches, and in general become a visual blight, resulting in costly cleanup efforts.
Safe alternatives to single-use bags
Recent claims about the safety of reusable bags,the environmentally superior alternative to
single-use bags, are misleading. There may be some amount of lead in the dyes used in some
bags (and clothes and dishware) made in China, but many popular and convenient reusable bags
have been certified to be lead free and other hazardous materials. Furthermore, there is zero
evidence that reusable bags contain anything close to dangerous levels of bacteria, or that the
e.coli strains found during a recent industry-funded study are in fact dangerous.
Consider paper bag impacts
While paper bags are less prone than plastic bags to become litter, and more likely to degrade if
littered, it's important to remember that single-use paper bags are not without environmental
impacts. The Council may wish to consider including paper bag reduction efforts in the
ordinance, e.g., by making them available for purchase. Washington, D.C.'s ordinance required
retailers to sell both single-use paper and plastic bags for five cents each. The DC ordinance
immediately reduced bag distribution from 22.5 million bags a month to just 3.3 million a month.
Banning single-use plastic bags is widely considered an appropriate and practical action that can
protect our environment and save financial resources. We urge your support of this bill.
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