Kauai town's eateries no longer use plastic foam

LIHUE, Hawaii (AP) - Not one restaurant in Kilauea on Kauai's north shore uses plastic foam disposable containers.

Starting this week there are two signs at the entrance to the town saying "Welcome to Kilauea. A Styrofoam Free Community."

The Garden Island newspaper reports the designation is the result of a campaign by the Surfrider Foundation and Zero Waste Kauai to stop eateries from using non-biodegradable containers.

Surfrider Foundation Kauai Chapter Treasurer Gordon LaBedz says plastics - including Styrofoam - present litter, pollution and health problems.

The foundation says plastics break down into small particles that persist in the ocean, absorb toxins and enter the food chain through fish and other marine life.

Thirty-five percent of the nearly 250 restaurants on Kauai have already done away with single-use plastic to-go containers.