There are many things in Hawaii that unite us all, such as family and our love for the beauty and culture of Hawaii. There are other things that unite us that aren’t so wonderful, and one of those things is our frustration and disappointment that our trash is going into the landfill.
Of course, it doesn’t all go into the landfill — some of it ends up on our highways, gulches and along our beaches.
As the founder of Clean The Pacific, I have personally removed tons of plastic waste strewn along the coastline of North Kohala. While it’s true that much of it comes from other places, I know when I pick up plastic containers from Hawaii. Perhaps it was a simple accident and blew out of someone’s hands at the beach. The point is, we have a huge problem.
The good news is that legislation is being proposed to the state Legislature to help solve this problem: Senate Bill 3246. This bill would require manufacturers to be responsible for reducing or eliminating packaging altogether, or packaging their product in a reusable package, or facilitating recycling if there’s no other solution.
This is our chance to all come together and create a whole new dynamic, a whole new way to visualize and structure our supply chain. It doesn’t end at the cash register. Currently, it ends in the ocean, our streets, the landfill, the atmosphere.
The world now produces 380 million tons of plastic each year. We can no longer ignore these facts. We can no longer continue with this behavior. The time has come to take responsibility for our actions, all of us — citizens, governments and corporations. Let’s change that linear thinking and close the loop.
As you read this article, there’s a good chance you’re breathing plastic. On average, we consume about half a pound of plastic per year. “… The average American eats and drinks in about 45,000 plastics particles smaller than 130 microns annually, while breathing in roughly the same number,” according to Phys.org.
I know you’ve read about how plastics can take hundreds of years to break down in the environment, but in reality, it never breaks down. Plastics are made from oil and methane gas. Those substances have been decomposing for millions of years, and they have already broken down into their lowest common denominator. All we’ve done is released them into our environment. Now we need to get control of these substances, because they are literally killing us and our children.
I hear you thinking: But what can I do about this? We only ask one simple thing from you. After you do this one thing, you’re going to feel so good about it. Contact your elected state senators and representatives and tell them you support SB 3246. That’s it.
If you’re feeling a little more adventurous or passionate, tell them about your children and your concerns. Extra credit: Really participate in your democracy. After all, it is your democracy.
Submit formal testimony when the bill comes up for a vote: www.capitol.hawaii.gov/.
Thank you from everyone at Recycle Hawaii.
Christopher Dean is president of Recycle Hawaii.
