STAND. COM. REP. NO. 176

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 807

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Education and Housing and Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 807 entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to establish a recycling program and provide recycling bins for every public school campus in the State.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by one state agency and thirteen students.  Copies of written testimony are available for review on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committees find that many public schools currently recycle aluminum cans and plastic bottles through the State's HI-5 program by incorporating their collection into the school's fundraising programs.  Schools on Oahu have also taken advantage of the City and County of Honolulu's Community Recycling Bin program.  This measure would take recycling one step further by providing convenient recycling bins on public school campuses.

Your Committees understand the challenge of changing student and adult behavior to ensure that the recycling bins will be used.  Many of the students who testified in support admitted that they throw away recyclable materials, usually because there is not a convenient way to recycle.  Your Committees believe that the convenience of having recycling bins on campus will give students and their teachers and other adults one more reason to go "green."

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Housing and Energy and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 807 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Housing and Energy and Environment,

____________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

____________________________ NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair