The Problem With Honolulu’s Single-Use Plastic Ban At Restaurants … Honolulu’s plastic reduction effort is eliminating fossil fuel waste, but also reflects the struggle to find a solution that’s both eco-friendly and convenient.
Restaurants across Oahu are more than three months into a phaseout of single-use plastics, but there’s still nowhere on the island that can compost most of the single-use compostable utensils, cups, and takeout containers that businesses are supposed to offer in place of plastic.
“We have the capability to do it here, but we don’t have any of that technology at scale,” said Nicole Chatterson, founder of Zero Waste Oahu and longtime advocate of the plastic ban.
The Honolulu plastic ordinance, which passed in 2019, was delayed four months during the pandemic. And while advocates say it’s a good first step in reducing waste, alternatives are presenting their own challenges.
