Bill 59- O‘ahu's Plastic Ban Ban 2.0

Tomorrow, Honolulu's City Council will have its final hearing for Bill 59 (2016) CD2, FD1 - an ordinance that will "close the loophole" on O‘ahu's plastic bag ban. We have been sharing action alerts on social media to encourage our members to submit testimony in support of the FD1 (1st floor draft) which is the preferred language for Bill 59. Below is the testimony the O‘ahu Group submitted in support of Bill 59 (2016), CD2, FD1:May 9, 2017-Aloha Chair Menor, Vice Chair Anderson, and members of the Honolulu City Council,On behalf of the Sierra Club O`ahu Group’s 8,000 members and supporters and as a participating organization in the Rise Above Plastics Coalition, we are in STRONG SUPPORT of Bill 59 (2016) CD2, FD1, which will implement a 10 cent fee on all check out bags at grocery stores and phase out the thicker “reusable” plastic bags in 2020. This FD1 balances both business and environmental concerns: the stores have adequate time to use their stock of thick plastic bags and will receive money from customers to invest in paper or cloth bags, while our community moves towards eliminating plastic pollution and promoting sustainable consumer behavior. When the Council passed the first plastic bag ban there were unintended consequence of allowing thick plastic bags to be considered “reusable.” Bill 59 (2016) CD2, FD1, will effectively eliminate these types of plastic bags on O`ahu to help reduce cleanup costs, save vital resources, and protect our marine environment from plastic pollution.We respectfully cannot support the CD2 as it is currently written. It creates more confusion and ambiguity about what types of bags are allowed in the future, particularly by allowing “non-recyclable bags” for prepared foods, beverages, and bakery items. It also does not phase out the thicker plastic bags or compostable bags, which was the intention of Bill 59 (2016). We would prefer to not have to revisit the plastic bag issue another time. Passage of the FD1 would successfully accomplish the intention of the initial plastic bag ban: to eliminate plastic bags on our island.The Sierra Club O`ahu Group advocates for a reduction of all plastic bags - regardless of their thickness. If we cannot eliminate thick plastic bags in Bill 59 (2016) and truly move towards sustainability and waste reduction, we ask that the Council defer this measure until better a consensus between the Council, environmental groups, and industry representatives can be reached. Grocery stores can already impose a 10 cent fee for checkout bags without passing this bill. We cannot support a bill that will impose a mandatory fee on customers if it is not coupled with language to phase out the thick plastic bags; the point of having a fee on bags is to encourage a reusable mindset, not to help grocery stores purchase more plastic bags.Mahalo,Sierra Club O`ahu Group