HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0107.146 2016-2018 Murashige, Laura
From: Lindsey Kramer <k.lindsey.kramer@gmail.com> COUNTY CLERK
Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2017 8:49 AM COUNTY OF HAWAI'I
To: Council Testimony; Richards,Tim; Poindexter,Valerie RECEIVED 0
Subject: Testimonyin support of Bill 13. Time 9 �3 . By`
pp Date c3 �//7
Aloha Chair Poindexter, my district Councilman Richards, and the rest of the County Council,
Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of the proposed ban on polystyrene foam "styrofoam" food
containers on the Big Island (Bill 13). I am currently the Hawaii Island Coordinator for the Eyes of the Reef
Network, an organization that provides free community trainings on coral reef health and volunteer reef health
reporting. I am testifying on my own personal behalf in support of the ban.
I support a polystyrene foam ban for the following reasons:
1) When not disposed of properly, polystyrene waste adds floating and non-decomposing waste to our
beaches and coastal ecosystems (in addition to our parks and highways.
2) Used polystyrene container are non-recyclable in Hawaii County, and generate an abundance of non-
compostable waste, which rapidly accumulates in our landfills on a daily basis. These containers serve
their purpose for a few minutes, maybe up to 48 hours,then need to be disposed of. This careless use of
a non-biodegradable material results in high volumes superfluous trash for our landfills.
3) Scientific reports vary on the estimated decomposition time of polystyrene, but at minimum, this
process takes many decades. The nearly-permanent nature (well-beyond our lifetimes) of polystyrene
foam products is not an appropriate way to store food for a short period of time, particularly when greener
alternatives are readily available.
4) Many previous testimonies have touched on the massive Pacific garbage patch located to the north
of the Hawaiian Islands, which is estimated to be up to 5,800,000 square miles (0.4%to 8%of the size of
the Pacific Ocean). Plastics (including polystyrene) are estimated to comprise ^' 90 % of the floating
material debris in this garbage patch. This horrific situation is difficult to conceptualize, and easy to
ignore, but is an unfortunate reality that our community and other coastal communities need to consider
as we move away from single/short-term use plastic products.
5) Small pieces of debris are regularly ingested by seabirds, sea turtles, and other marine life, particularly
after the debris has been colonized by an invertebrate food source. At minimum, this ingestion of debris
causes serious digestive problems (sometimes fatal), particularly for seabird chicks.
6) The environmental health problems caused by polystyrene use and disposal are well-documented,
and I've included several references at the end of this testimony.
For a community that values natural resources and coastal ecological health, a gradual shift from single-use
polystyrene foam containers to compostable containers is a sensible change. Significant contributions to our
local landfills would be easily reduced. I strongly support the proposed ban.
Comm. No. 1 D1 114 I,
1 Ref. To:
Ref. Dote
Thank you for your time and consideration of this important measure.
Aloha,
-Lindsey Kramer
REFERENCES:
Bandyopadhyay, A. C. Basak (2007) Studies on phytocatalytic degradation of polystyrene. Materials Science and
Technology. 23 (3): 307-317.
Dineen, S. (2005) The throw-away generation: 25 billion styroforam cups a year. The Environmental Magazine
Hofer,T. (2008) Marine pollution: New research. Nova Science Publishers: New York, 59pp. ISBN: 1-60456-242-
0.
Kwon, B. et al. (2014) Regional distribution of styrene analogues generated from polystyrene degradation along
the coastlines of the Northeast Pacific ocean and Hawai'i. Environmental Pollution 188: 45 —
49. Dor:10.1016/j.envpol.2014.01.019.
NPR (2008) "Garbage Mass is growing in the Pacific." National Public Radio. Aired 28 Mar 2008.
Walsh, B. (2009) Expedition sets sail to the great plastic vortex. Time. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
LindseY Kramer, M.S.
Fish Et Habitat Monitoring Technician,Data Analyst
Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit,Division of Aquatic Resources,Kailua-Kona
Hawaii Island Coordinator-Eyes of the Reef Network
KramerKL@Hawaii.edu
808-327-6226
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