Smoking would be banned at five public beach parks under a bill City Council member Stanley Chang will introduced to the Council on Wednesday.
The ban would apply to Kapiolani Park, the beach park area and beach center; and to Duke Kahanamoku, Kuhio and Sandy beaches; and all sandy areas of Ala Moana Regional Park that are maintained by the city Department of Parks and Recreation.
Bill 72 (2012) would ban smoking at all beach parks on Oahu staffed by department officials.
Chang said the ban could be expanded to other beaches if it proves successful.
"Cigarette butts are the single largest cause of litter both at our beaches and generally in the community," Chang said Monday. "We’re very concerned about the litter problem that the butts present, as well as the public health and safety issue. When people on the beach are exposed to the lit butts in the sand, that’s a big problem."
THE bill will be introduced at the Council’s regular meeting.
"If this is successful, absolutely there could be a beach park smoking ban islandwide," Chang said.
He noted that Hawaii County has a ban at all public beach parks.
"Our counterparts on the Big Island have done so already. Hopefully this will be successful on Oahu as well."
The Big Island Council in 2008 overrode the veto of then-Mayor Harry Kim to enact its ban.
Chang’s measure is not as restrictive.
On Oahu the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve already is smoke-free.
The state Legislature in 2005 tried unsuccessfully to adopt a statewide smoking ban at all public beaches. The author and co-sponsor of that bill was Mayor-elect Kirk Caldwell, then a member of the state House.
Also Wednesday, the Council will consider final approval of a proposal to eliminate a discount given to companies that recycle materials and dispose of the nonrecyclable residue at the Waimanalo Gulch landfill or the HPOWER waste-to-energy plant.
The discount is applied to the "tipping fees" charged per ton to the company delivering the waste material. The discount has been criticized as being overly generous to a single company and costing the city an estimated $2 million a year.
Any savings realized from the elimination of the discount would be put toward restoring bus services that were cut during the summer.
A proposed amendment to Bill 61 (2012) would delay implementation of the measure until July.
