KIHEI, HI – On December 31, 2018, Maui County banned the use, sale or provision of polystyrene food service containers as a step to protect marine wildlife and bird populations. The County took this step after learning about the lightweight nature of polystyrene and its ability to break down into smaller fragments that persist for decades, contributing to the potential illness and death of marine animals and birds that mistake the small fragments for food and ingest them.

Did this ban improve the amounts or types of plastic on Maui beaches? Learn what recent research has found at a free Zoom presentation by Dr. Jennifer M. Lynch, the co-director of the Hawaii Pacific University Center for Marine Debris Research. Her talk will take place on Wednesday, February 2 at 5:30 pm as part of Maui Nui Marine Resource Councilʻs Know Your Ocean Speaker Series, sponsored by the County of Maui Office of Economic Development.

Admission is free, but advance reservation is required. To register, visit https://bit.ly/MauiPlasticWebinar.

Dr. Lynch is one of eight co-authors on a study titled, “Did Maui’s expanded polystyrene ban (County Ord. No. 4457) improve the amounts or types of plastic pollution on Maui beaches?“

The study abstract states that “in order to protect native wildlife and Hawaii’s unique coastal environments, reduce plastic waste, and promote the health and welfare of the residents of Hawaii, bans on single-use plastic items have been implemented by some local municipalities. However, the impacts and effectiveness of these policies has been rarely studied.”

The study used polymer identification methods to determine if ordinance number 4457 had an effect on the amount and composition of plastic marine debris on five Maui beaches.

The authors of the study are Kerrianne O’Malley, Hawaii Pacific University Center for Marine Debris Research; Sheena Weller, Hawaii Pacific University Center for Marine Debris Research; Cheryl King, Sharkastics; Jens Currie, Pacific Whale Foundation; Kayla Brignac, Hawaii Pacific University Center for Marine Debris Research; Melissa Jung, Hawaii Pacific University Center for Marine Debris Research; Regina Ostergaard-Klem, Hawaii Pacific University and Jennifer M. Lynch, National Institute of Standards and Technology and Hawaii Pacific University Center for Marine Debris Research.

“We are excited to host Dr. Lynch and to learn about her findings about how Mauiʻs polystyrene ban has impacted the debris on our local beaches,” commented Michael Fogarty, Executive Director of Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. “Her findings are valuable for our nonprofit, especially now as we launch a National Geographic-funded study of the streams and gulches that are transporting plastic waste to Mauiʻs beaches and shorelines.”

“Polystyrene foam is lightweight, floats, and is more likely to be blown from landfills, even when disposed of properly,” reports the website Foam Free Maui County. Recent studies conducted by University of Hawaii at Manoa show that methane and ethylene (major contributors to global warming) are emitted as polystyrene breaks down (Royer et al 2018). Carbon dioxide is also emitted (Ward et al 2019).

“Join our presentation to learn what is being found here on Maui,” notes Meredith Beeson, Project and Research Coordinator at Maui Nui Marine Resource Council and the coordinator of the Know Your Ocean Speaker Series. “Sign up today at https://bit.ly/MauiPlasticWebinar.”

Jill Wirt, Project and Research Coodinator at Maui Nui Marine Research Council will emcee the free event.

About Dr. Jennifer M. (Keller) Lynch
Dr. Jennifer Lynch has worked for the National Institute of Standards and Technology since 2003, and became the Co-Director of the Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) Center for Marine Debris Research (CMDR) in 2019. The CMDR was purposefully established in Hawaii, one of the most plastic polluted marine environments. Dr. Lynch’s research focuses on developing optimal methods to quantify and chemically characterize plastic marine debris to answer questions about pollution quantities, sources, fate, transport, effects, and reuse.  She has authored 61 peer-reviewed publications and four book chapters, and mentored over 45 graduate students.

About Maui Nui Marine Resource Council
Maui Nui Marine Resource Council (MNMRC) is a Maui-based non-profit organization working for clean ocean water, healthy coral reefs and a restoration of abundant native fish for the islands of Maui County. MNMRC is recognized for its ability to work with the community to plan, fund, enact and manage culturally appropriate, science-based solutions to serious problems undermining nearshore ocean water quality and threatening local coral reefs. To learn more, visit www.mauireefs.org.