STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1166

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2023

RE: H.B. No. 1326

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1326, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the Hawaii Zero Waste Initiative to, among other things, manage the State's transition to zero solid waste to the landfill or to incineration;

(2) Establish the Packaging Waste Advisory Council;

(3) Require the Department of Health to develop a statewide needs assessment to determine the resources required to reduce packaging waste;

(4) Establish a Packaging Waste Reduction and Reuse Plan and Program; and

(5) Appropriate funds for coordinator positions and for the Packaging Waste Advisory Council.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of the Mayor of the County of Maui; two members of the Hawai‘i County Council; Department of Research and Development of the County of Hawai‘i; Department of Environmental Management of the County of Hawai‘i; Sierra Club of Hawai‘i; FoodWare; Hawai‘i Reef and Ocean Coalition; Climate Protectors Hawai‘i; 350Hawaii.org; NO POHŌ; Perpetual; Fair Wind Cruises; Just Zero; Upstream; Zero Waste O‘ahu; Adaptations Inc.; Big Island Coffee Roasters; Blackmountainbeauty; Coconut Trader; CupZero; DeliverZero, Inc.; EarthEx, LLC; Hawaii Island Ocean Advocates; Hilo Bottle Shop; Kale‘a Farms; Koko Kai Foods LLC; Muuse; Ocean Kind HI; Pop Culture Artisan Pops; Protea Zero Waste Store; SKY Kombucha; SUPERFUN Studio; The Conservationist Collective; The Locavore Store; Village Seeds Design LLC; Volcano Precious Plastic, LLC; Zero Waste Hale; Sojourner; Hana Hou Recycling; Blue Ocean Warriors; Christienne de Tournay Zero Waste Consultancy; Don't Waste Durham; Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions; Going Home Hawaii; Hanai Kaiaulu; Hawai‘i Alliance for Progressive Action; Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund; Ho‘omalu Ke Kai; Kingdom Pathways; Plastic Pollution Coalition; Re-use Hawai‘i; Sheffield Saves; Surfrider Foundation; The Last Plastic Straw; Zero Waste Hawai‘i Island; Zero Waste Maui Coalition; HULI PAC; Plastic Free Mail; Big Island Reef Keepers Hui; Energy & Climate Action and Agriculture & Food Security Committees of the Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; Hawai‘i State Association of Counties; Recycle Hawaii, Clean The Pacific; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from Island Plastic Bags, Inc.; Hawaii Food Manufacturers Association; Biodegradable Products Institute; Foodservice Packaging Institute; American Chemistry Council; The American Beverage Association; American Institute for Packaging and the Environment; Wine Institute; Consumer Technology Association; Glass Packaging Institute; Flexible Packaging Association; and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance, Department of Health, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, and Plastics Industry Association.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1326, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Chair