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Hawaii Lawmakers Chewing on Ban of Plastic Utensils, Bottles and Food Containers (hawaiinewsnow.com)
Plastic bags are out. Plastic straws are on their way out. Now Hawaii lawmakers want to take things a big step further. From a report: They're considering an outright ban on all sorts of single-use plastics common in the food and beverage industry, from plastic bottles to plastic utensils to plastic containers. Senate Bill 522 has already passed through two committees and is on its way to two more. Supporters say it's an ambitious and broad measure that would position Hawaii as a leader in the nation -- and ensure that Hawaii's oceans have a fighting chance as the global plastic pollution problem worsens. But others worry about the practicality of such a proposal.
Lots of compostable, corn-based or other plant-based single use silverware avalible now. It's about 10-15% more expensive, but right now the cost is about $free so,
Paper bags are pretty popular in larger cities, Safeway near my house has tried to introduce thicker plastic bags to meet the "Reusable" mandate by the city, but locals are still requesting paper.
moox. for a new generation.
It's a great idea so long as they still permit compostables. Compostable plastics are produced from renewable sources, so they even have the potential to be carbon-neutral. They do have to be tested to make sure they only break down into harmless compounds, though. We should be doing this everywhere.
Even if you take the "green" reasoning out of the argument to ban plastics, this might make sense from a business perspective for Hawaii. Hawaii relies a lot on tourism. Plastic trash is the enemy of pristine beaches, volcanos and scenic overlooks.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
Plastic utensils are off course overused, but will you make sure both the food and health industry sanitizes whatever other method available properly?
Such requirements are already in place. Ever eaten at a non-fast food restaurant? It's a solved problem. A dishwasher is entirely adequate when dealing with "real" utensils.
What is the cost of acquiring, operating and inspecting an autoclave system with the volume required for eg. a McDonalds.
Zero because they don't need one. There are perfectly viable alternatives to plastic utensils. Not to mention that most of their menu does not require cutlery of any description. In case you weren't aware most of their menu is sandwiches and finger food.
How will we deal with the massive amounts of trash and green house gasses metal utensils will generate for both more resource intensive production, heavier transportation and proper disposal (as well as people simply throwing them into the landfill-destined garbage)?
Nobody is going to use disposable metal utensils. Nobody is even proposing that idea.
Perhaps we need to develop non-plastic, compostable utensils
Already done. They exist today.
Oh wait...
I saw a stat that suggest that as much as 80% of the plastic waste in the ocean is fishing netting. The vast majority of the rest is supposedly from underdeveloped counties. Something like 0.1% of the plastic waste in the ocean is from the U.S. So these laws won't make a difference in the whole scheme of things.
Why not focus on the real problems that will have a real effect?
Are are there alternative motives involved?
"A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
I thought the predecessor to plastic straws were paper ones?
While many feel this necessitates having straws that turn into cellulose pulp in your mouth, this is not true. Coating the paper with a biodegradable wax, like carnuba, would solve the problem nicely, as would the use of modified starch coatings.
That doesn't line up with my memory of paper straws, even wax-coated, back in the 60s. "Sometimes lasted the whole drink"... maybe. And they didn't give refills back then.
I've used some of the more recent paper straws, now that the plastic ones have been declared Politically Incorrect in some jurisdictions in California. They're much thicker than the ones I recall from the 1960s ... and they fall apart more quickly. I'm not sure if they contain any wax. They didn't seem to. Probably because wax is petroleum based (IA! IA!!! EVIL EVIL EVIL!!!!) or beeswax (Exploitation of non-consenting lifeforms!! Evil!!!) or something. There's always something.