Honolulu City Council passes plastic bag bill
 B.E.A.C.H. volunteers who testified at the final hearing in support of Bill 59 |
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The Honolulu City Council voted unanimously to pass Bill 59 on 12th July, 2017 and was then signed into law by Mayor Kirk Caldwell on 24th July, 2017 at Magic Island.
The bill bans thick plastic checkout bags and compostable bags on 1st January, 2020. It also raises the 10 cent fee per check-out bag to 15 cents until 31st December, 2019.
B.E.A.C.H. delivered to the council over 1200 pieces of written testimony collected from the public at outreach events all over the island and from school students. The clerk's office at the Council had never received that much testimony before for a bill.
10 cent fee will increase plastic bag problem
Honolulu Star Advertiser, 9th May, 2017. |
Maui and Hawaii County go Styrofoam container free
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B.E.A.C.H. helped support Maui and Hawaii County styrofoam bans which passed in June and September respectfully. Maui County bans the use and sale of polystyrene foam food service containers effective December 31st, 2018. Hawaii County starts its ban on 1st July 2019 and bans polystyrene food containers. |
Campaign to save our reefs
| B.E.A.C.H.'s new campaign to save our reefs from harmful chemicals started on Earth Day, April 22nd by giving away chemical free, reef safe sunblock by Hawaii Medicinal as this year’s membership gift when people join to become B.E.A.C.H. members. Sunblock comes packaged in a metal container, not plastic. |
Outreach and education
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B.E.A.C.H. went to 35 education and outreach events in 2017. Volunteers gave educational presentations at schools and the community, reached out to the community at farmers' markets and other public events about the impacts of marine debris on marine life including solutions to plastic marine debris. |
Marine debris research
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B.E.A.C.H. continued a year long project sorting and researching microplastic and macro sized marine debris. The data collected will be analyzed for solutions for preventing and reducing marine debris in the environment. The public, educators and government will have access to this information.
Volunteers from universities, high schools and members from the community are helping with this project. Preliminary macroplastics data will be released at the Sixth International Marine Debris Conference in March 2018. |
2017 Sponsors included: Pura Vida Bracelets, Hawaii Medicinal, Glass Dharma, Matson, Young Brothers
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Coral Photograph Credit to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce and Dr. James P. McVey. Dolphins, Japanese Angelfish, Green turtle, and Laysan Albatross photos by James Watt. Humpback whale photo by James Mobeley
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