LATEST NEWS ON THE HAWAII STYROFOAM BAN

​Almost 100 people testified before a joint committee hearing in early February in support of bill SB 1109, which would prohibit food vendors from using Styrofoam and other polystyrene containers. Likewise, hundreds of testimonies flooded in online from private citizens and local environmental groups concerned about the impact of single-use containers which often end up on the state’s beaches, wreaking havoc on both the delicate marine environment and threatened wildlife species. ​However, Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee Chair failed to schedule a joint committee hearing for the bill before last Friday’s deadline, which has essentially taken the bill off the table–at least for this session.  Love the Sea Coalition partners including the Surfrider Foundation, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii and Hawai’i Wildlife Fund remain on the front lines of this issue. To date, Hawai’i Wildlife Fund have identified over 137 restaurants and food vendors that have already opted to go FOAM FREE!  A hearing is scheduled at the Hilo Council Chambers for Wednesday, March 8th at 9am to move BILL 13 to reduce polystrene foam food containers and service ware products on The Big Island of Hawai’i Island after July 1st, 2017.

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