Letters: 5-24-16

Officers deserve mahalo

As police week ends, I would like to extend my most sincere and warm mahalo to all officers at our Kona station event held on May 17 and for those officials who traveled across our island to speak on behalf of all police officers of our Hawaii Island.

I had the privilege of attending as a guest and was tremendously impressed by all the diligent work our officers perform in keeping residents and visitors safe from harm and for being so knowledgeable in how to best serve our community. The tribute to the fallen, the candle lighting ceremony, the 21 gun salute, the playing of taps were all heartfelt and so appreciated.

There were tours of the building with greetings of aloha from each department as they went about performing their assignments. I especially want to extend my mahalo nui loa for all the officers and staff behind the scenes who set up the outdoor event, provided delicious pupus, the musical entertainment and then took down all the tenting, seating and tables once the ceremonies concluded. You may not have been in the receiving line, early on, but I know who you are and your kokua was boundless.

Barbara Hussey

Kailua-Kona

Styrofoam article fell short

Nancy Cook Lauer’s recent article on County Bill 540, the proposed ban on plastic foam fast food containers, fell somewhat short of her usual excellent standard of balanced journalism. It mentions that more than 40 residents testified in favor of the bill, but quotes none of their testimony.

Let me address some points that the Ms. Lauer did quote from unnamed “dissenters” and an anonymous “expert.” Plastic foam definitely is a health problem — and not just for humans. The Internet’s awash with pictures of beached whales whose stomachs were found to be full of plastic. I’ve heard accounts of local fishermen finding plastic inside fish. How important are marine tourism and fishing to the local economy?

I am a local restaurateur, and my business long ago quit using polystyrene containers. The cost difference between cardboard and foam is only slight. Even McDonald’s uses cardboard containers these days. Cardboard is actually more convenient for customers and the county, because it offers more options for disposal — it can light a fireplace or go into a backyard compost pile without even reaching the landfill. In the landfill, it breaks down into harmless organic matter. Plastic doesn’t.

The only place plastic can go, aside from the dump, is out the car window. Councilman Onishi lamented that “nobody talks about the litter problem.”

But this bill will help with the litter problem. Soggy cardboard stays in place and biodegrades rapidly. Plastic never gets soggy; it blows around until it’s picked up or it’s in the ocean. Many of the same people who oppose this bill also opposed the ban on plastic grocery bags. But now the “bag ban” is accepted as a good thing. More and more cities across the country have already enacted Styrofoam bans. Why not get ahead of the curve?

Ira Ono

Volcano