Editorial: Reuse, recycle for a clean planet

Plastic’s strength has proved to be its curse. Durable plastic containers don’t get soggy when filled with food, nor will they decay when tossed out. Lightweight, sturdy and inexpensive compared with a lot of alternatives, they do their job well. Too well. They have a lifespan of forever, yet they’re usually discarded after a single use, to end up in a landfill or floating in the ocean — trash.

Thus have plastic forks, spoons, plates, straws, bowls and food boxes earned their place high on the list of environmental enemies.

A strict ban on single-use plastic foodware was to have taken effect on Oahu with the new year, but restaurants have been given an extra three weeks to comply. A similar law in Maui County has also been given a brief delay, until March 1.

This modest postponement is understandable, given the hit that restaurants have taken during the pandemic and the supply chain disruptions that could delay stocking up on alternatives such as biodegradable or reusable containers. But that’s all it should be — a delay in a change that is inevitable. To continue generating waste through plastics that have only a one-time, one-job use is indefensible and unsustainable.

As Honolulu’s city ordinance states: “Single-use plastic service ware and packaging are major contributors to street and beach litter, ocean pollution, harm to marine and other wildlife, and greenhouse gas emissions, which directly contribute to the global climate crisis.”

The law was described as among the toughest in the nation when it passed in 2019. It has two phases: The first banned single-use plastic utensils and required that other types be given out only on request; that part took effect last year. The meat of the law — targeting containers used by restaurants, convenience stores and supermarkets to package prepared foods — is destined for this new year.

Between 2019 and now, of course, COVID-19 struck, and talk of waste-avoidance largely took a back seat as restaurant shutdowns made takeout-only container dining a necessity for many. Still, many restaurants have been transitioning. You may have noticed a switch at some places to paper packaging or to containers that look like the old polystyrene, but are designed to be dishwasher safe. On the North Shore, a coalition of restaurants created a program for customers to return containers to be sterilized for reuse.

The passage of the city ordinance was contentious, although both the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and the Hawaii Restaurant Association acknowledge the need for environmental initiatives. Their main concerns were for fairness and clarity, plus allowances for exceptions in cases of hardship or special needs.

The bans will and should move forward this year. But let us not feel too superior about it. Single-use takeout plastics are a highly visible sign of wastefulness, but they are just a sliver of an ever-growing problem. Plastic will continue to be used to contain raw foods in supermarkets, in water bottles, in packaging for any number of consumer goods. And paper is not benign. It may eventually degrade but it still loads up landfills, and its coatings and colorings pose their own chemical dangers. All that online ordering that also became ubiquitous during the pandemic brought with it tons of cardboard shipping boxes and plastic packing material.

As consumers we cannot count on government regulation and business conformity to clean up our world. Self-responsibility is at the heart of the issue. We must avoid over-packaging in items we buy; reuse everything we can. Minimize that carbon footprint — it’s not just a catchphrase. Reduction of waste is everyone’s problem.