A bill passing through the state legislature may spell the end for plastic bottles, styrofoam food containers and more across the state.
Senate Bill 522 sets a lofty goal to ban the sale, use or distribution of plastic beverage bottles, utensils, stirring sticks, straws and polystyrene foam containers anywhere in the state by 2023.
If passed, the bill’s ban would be implemented in stages: state and county agencies would be prohibited from using the items after July 1, 2021. One year later, the items would be prohibited in restaurants, hotels, bars and other food vendors. And by July 1, 2023, the products would be prohibited for all businesses and individuals.
The bill would also establish a working group to develop effective ways to eliminate single-use plastic packaging from the state’s waste stream, encourage reuse and composting plastics in the state’s food industry and phase out single use plastic beverage containers.
Sen. Russell Ruderman, who co-introduced the bill, said adopting the bans would allow Hawaii to join other communities that have already taken the step to cut excessive plastic out of their lives.
“We’ve already banned plastic bags and that turned out to be no big deal,” Ruderman said. “There are whole countries that don’t use plastic utensils,” he added, referring to countries like France and Taiwan, whose plastic bans have not yet gone into full effect.
Ruderman said adding plastic utensils to the list of banned products sets SB 522 beyond previous bills that have flirted with plastic bans, while the addition of the working group will serve as a fallback option in case the bill gets “watered down.”
While the bill has passed through all four Senate committees with no senator voting against it, the proposal is controversial.
A number of businesses and trade organizations testified against the bill at committee hearings, with the Hawaii Food Retailers Association — which represents 200 member companies — warning that it would “raise prices on essential items for Hawaii consumers and limit Hawaii residents’ access to a range of products.”
Meanwhile, several Honolulu businesses lamented that the ban would raise their own costs of doing business.
The bill attracted significant support, as well, primarily from individuals and environmental support organizations. “Single-use plastics pollute our lands and freshwater bodies, clog up drainage systems, harm wildlife and ultimately end up in our ocean waters settling on our reefs and, in some places, creating large plastic island gyres,” wrote Lori Mallini, a volunteer with the Sierra Club of Hawaii.
Oh, our benevolent Government! How we love you! Pass as many laws as you can controlling our behavior because we can’t do it ourselves, free enterprise can’t do it, and God can’t do it! Please pass a law against Cows because they fart. Oh I forgot, your leaders are already in the process of banning those, airplanes, cars, and oil drilling etc. etc. etc. We need this very much! Of course, China and India are the real polluters of the world, and until they stop nothing will be solved. Our percentage of pollutions of all kinds here in the United States is miniscule compared to the combined rest of the world, and won’t make a two week delay in the self pronounced, by stupid politicians, “..end of the world”!! The greatest horror story of all time is “a benevolent Government”!!! But then, almost half of us now living in the United States are stupid enough to actually want one!!
That is very nice of you to ban styrofoam food containers. And for what? For the sake of cleaning up the environment. I think this is a useless wasted attempt politically at the consumers from the politicians. Because they have nothing else to study. Why don’t you find something better to study? I was reading a great book by Andrew Yoder. Did you know that the speakers they use on cars is made of paper? The magnets in the speakers are made of ferrite (iron), ceramic, or strontium. When the car gets disposed of, they just throw it away. Right back into the environment. You wouldn’t want to eliminate speakers would you? It so happen that the chemical compound in the paper is made from polypropelene. And they use other chemicals to treat the speaker to make the speaker. Interesting note is that chemicals are used and that they treat the paper in the speaker so that the speaker can function properly. I find this type of study very interesting and more suitable to your taste.
As someone who has been ardently picking up other people’s trash for YEARS, unlike most of the bitter non-contributing trolls in this comment section (how ya doin’ Gordon?) I say YES to this bill. But then, I am one of those people who is actually out there trying to take care of this beautiful island, instead of just writing sad and ultimately useless comments here. Hey everybody: get out there and pick up some trash, it’s amazing what just a few dedicated people can do in just a few hours per week!
Picking up other’s trash does not help them learn anything.
In Japan, children learn how to keep the schools clean at early ages. There are videos showing how they start helping out and cleaning up on YouTube.
Why only one culture that is clean?
We just went to a rest stop along the highway in California – Coalinga. The women’s toilets had been vandalized – buttons for flushing were broken out and the toilets were FULL OF WASTE.
California state employees obviously do not care enough about cleanliness or disease.
That rest stop should have had a state employee there – closing down the restroom until it was repaired.
Taxes in California are plenty high to pay for that semblance of civilization.
I have never seen such a mess in my life.
I don’t see many Styrofoam containers anymore – but paper, yes. There’s a unique solution.
Cut down all the trees around the world to make containers out of paper.
I agree that China and other countries have overpopulated and now we must clean our air up for their sake.
There’s always a Democrat to try and make us feel guilty about something that isn’t our fault.
We did cut back on births in earlier times and then the liberals made us feel guilty and take in millions of immigrants.
There’s just NO WINNING! EVER!