LIHU‘E — Plastic bags live to fight another day. The Kaua‘i County Council at the last minute Wednesday deferred a bill that would have outlawed single-use plastic bags from the island’s retail establishments, but council members indicated they expected the
LIHU‘E — Plastic bags live to fight another day.
The Kaua‘i County Council at the last minute Wednesday deferred a bill that would have outlawed single-use plastic bags from the island’s retail establishments, but council members indicated they expected the bill to pass when it comes back in two weeks.
After 8-year-old Kalaheo School student Olivia Gegen testified on behalf of her third grade class in favor of the legislation and passed out reusable bags as thank you gifts to the council members, they did not pass the bill as had been expected and instead asked for more time to review new testimony from opponents of the bill.
In moving for the deferral, Councilman Dickie Chang said he did not have time to read written testimony provided by the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce and the Retail Merchants of Hawai‘i.
In a letter received by the council at 12:40 p.m., during Wednesday’s lunch break, Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce President Randall Francisco wrote that the chamber “strongly believes that with continued education, research, patience and a commitment to continuing to honor our Hawaiian/Kaua‘i sense of place and community, in the very short term … Kaua‘i residents/visitors will continue to move in the direction of using/reusing/recycling biodegradable bags and reusable bags … without a need for further government intervention in the marketplace.”
“Our kuleana is always about having a better and more sustainable Kaua‘i and island lifestyle for everyone, without having government’s ‘hand in every pocketbook,’” Francisco wrote.
In an e-mail sent at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday, Retail Merchants of Hawai‘i President Carol Pregill wrote that her organization, a not-for-profit trade organization with more than 200 members and 2,000 storefronts, “stands in strong opposition to this proposal that restricts retail establishments that make available to customers convenient carry-out bags to providing only recyclable paper bags, biodegradable bags and reusable bags.”
The e-mail said paper bags are up to 10 times more expensive than plastic and that their larger volume and weight is critical for ocean freight.
“Ultimately, these costs will be passed on the consumer and will increase the cost of food and other products for Kaua‘i residents,” Pregill wrote.
Both Chang and Vice Chair Jay Furfaro, who seconded the motion to defer and was among the four to vote for it, said in brief interviews after the vote that they expected the bill to pass in two weeks, but simply wanted to give the new information a full look.
Tim Bynum and Lani Kawahara, the bill’s co-introducers, voted against the deferral. Bynum said in a short interview that he had already reviewed the testimony, and was ready to vote on the measure.
If passed as currently written, the bill would allow retail establishments to provide only recyclable paper bags, biodegradable bags and reusable bags as checkout bags, with fines of $100 for the first violation, $200 for the second violation within the same year, and $500 for every subsequent violation in that year. It will still be legal to sell plastic bags, such as garbage bags.
The ordinance will not take effect until July 1 of next year, and even then, companies will be able to apply for an 18-month exemption if they show significant “undue hardship.”
Councilman Derek Kawakami has recused himself from discussing or voting on the bill due to his role with Big Save supermarkets.
For more information on the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce, visit www.kauaichamber.org. For more information on the Retail Merchants of Hawai‘i, visit www.rmhawaii.org.
• Michael Levine, assistant news editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or via e-mail at mlevine@kauaipubco.com
