Maui considers banning Styrofoam containers

The Maui County Council’s Infrastructure Management Committee will hold a hearing in July on whether to ban products made of polystyrene, which is popularly known as Styrofoam.

"This is another step in what I call the right direction,” said Maui councilman Mike Victorino, who introduced the bill June 5. “The reason I'm bringing this forward now is that a lot of these initiatives take a long time to come to fruition.” The bill comes 10 months after the Maui council banned conventional plastic carryout bags, which is to be implemented in 2011.

Maui’s proposed Styrofoam ban also would take effect in 2011. Styrofoam food containers, including plate lunch containers, are included, but coolers are exempt. If passed, Maui would follow the lead of several California cities, including Palo Alto, San Francisco and Millbrae, which have banned polystyrene foam, which environmentalists say does not break down easily. The Palo Alto City Council voted in April to ban clamshell containers, plates and cups made of the foam beginning April 22, 2010, the next Earth Day.

“It’s very bad for our environment,” said Victorino. “It doesn’t break down. A hundred years from now, you’ll still have it sitting in your landfill. If we don’t make the changes today, tomorrow it will be more costly to develop new landfills.” Victorino said Styrofoam alternatives would cost between 6 to 13 percent more.

Richard Botti, president of the Hawaii Food Industry Association, opposes the bill. “If they pass it, the cost is going to be borne by their constituents,” said Botti. “It’s as simple as that.” Botti said the ban could put local manufacturers out of business, and also would mean having to ship alternatives from the mainland. If Maui County had H-power, he said, they could burn it to make energy.

Lucienne de Naie, vice chair of Sierra Club Hawaii, supports the ban. “I’ve picked up tons of garbage, and a lot of it is Styrofoam based, especially at beach parks,” said de Naie. “It doesn't go anywhere. It breaks into pieces that go in the wind and the water where turtles and fish eat it.”