HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	27
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

requesting the city and county of honolulu to develop and implement a program to increase public awareness of the importance of recycling household batteries and compact fluorescent light bulbs and to ESTABLISH drop-off sites for the collection and recycling of batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs, AND OTHER HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS MATERIALS.

     WHEREAS, household batteries are used ubiquitously throughout the City and County of Honolulu; and

     WHEREAS, household batteries produce power when heavy metals react with chemical electrolytes within the battery; and

     WHEREAS, the heavy metals found in household batteries include mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel; and

     WHEREAS, the heavy metals found within household batteries may contaminate the environment when improperly disposed, including the release of pollutants into the air when incinerated; and

     WHEREAS, compact fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury and, if broken, may contaminate the environment by releasing mercury into the air; and

     WHEREAS, the safest means of disposing of household batteries and compact fluorescent light bulbs and the heavy metals within them is by means of recycling; and

     WHEREAS, recycling of household batteries results in the separation of the plastic components and heavy metals for reuse in new plastic products, batteries, and other products; and

     WHEREAS, many people throughout the City and County of Honolulu are unaware that improper disposal of household batteries and compact fluorescent light bulbs may contaminate the environment, or that household batteries may be safely recycled and where to recycle them; and

     WHEREAS, there are few convenient places to drop off household batteries or compact fluorescent light bulbs for recycling; and

     WHEREAS, the residents of the City and County of Honolulu are in need of a program to increase public awareness of the importance of recycling household batteries and compact fluorescent light bulbs, and to establish convenient and permanent recycling methods; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2014, the Senate concurring, that the City and County of Honolulu is requested to develop and implement a program to increase public awareness of the importance of recycling household batteries and compact fluorescent light bulbs, and to establish convenient centers for the collection and recycling of household batteries; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City and County of Honolulu is requested to develop and implement permanent drop-off sites for batteries, compact fluorescent light bulbs, and other household hazardous material; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, the Chairperson of the Council of the City and County of Honolulu, and the Director of the City and County of Honolulu Department of Environmental Services.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Household Batteries and Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs; Recycling