Surfrider Helps Pass Plastic Source Reduction Working Group

With the success of Hawaii's Ocean Friendly Restaurants program and years of advocacy, Surfrider's Hawaii Chapters worked with a coalition of groups to pass bans on expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam on the Islands of Maui and the Big Island.  Building on their successes, Surfrider's Hawaii Chapters hoped to pass a statewide ban on all EPS foam foodware.  Along with supporting bills to ban foam, we also submitted a comprehensive Zero Waste bill (SB522) to reduce and eventually eliminate all single-use plastics.  But by including plastic bottles in the bill, our ambitious goal eluded our grasp and the state's political will.  The major plastics lobbying groups came out in full force to oppose and amend the bill, and we ended up with a statewide Plastic Source Reduction Working Group.  We plan to use this Working Group to build a case against the use of EPS foam, which is one of the most littered, most toxic and least recycled (<1%) forms of plastic ever invented.  On Nov. 7, Gov. Ige signed SB522 into law (Act 254).