STAND. COM. REP. 2207

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.B. No. 2417

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 2417 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SOLID WASTE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require large retailers and wholesalers that import goods for commercial sale to backhaul packaging, crating, insulation, pallets, and all other accommodating materials used for shipping to minimize the amounts of landfill.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Hawaii County Department of Environmental Management and Sierra Club. Testimony in opposition was received from the Hawaii Food Industry Association. Comments were received from the Department of Health.

Your Committee finds that this measure requires recycling of materials that would otherwise be dumped into land fills. These are common recyclable materials such as packaging and shipping materials. These are very common in landfills and yet are easy to recycle. This measure is an effort to save our landfills from being filled with more trash that can be easily avoided.

Your Committee has amended this measure by specifying that at least seventy-five per cent of the materials be backhauled, and making technical, nonsubstantive amendments.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2417, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2417, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations,

____________________________

CAL KAWAMOTO, Chair