Big Island Bans Plastic Bags

The Big Island of Hawaii has joined Maui on banning plastic shopping bags.

The Hawaii County Council on Wednesday voted to ban businesses on the Big Island from offering plastic bags at checkouts. Last week, Maui County Council passed the state’s first municipal ban on the plastic bags.

The Hawaii County bill, which is expected be signed by Mayor Harry Kim, will go into effect one year after being signed, according to reports. Maui’s law takes effect in January 2011.

Big Island businesses will be encouraged to offer customers 100 percent recyclable paper bags, which must be made out of a minimum of 40 percent post-consumer recycled content, or reusable totes.

Businesses that continue to use plastic could be fined up to $1,000 or 200 hours of community service for each offense.

Hawaii Island and Maui follow in the footsteps of Australia, China, Israel, Melbourne, San Francisco and Los Angeles which have banned plastic shopping bags and Seattle is considering a 20-cent charge to consumers who want to use a plastic bag. Other cities are considering bans because of the cost of cleaning up flyaway plastic bags in streets and landfills.