Hawaii Becomes First State in The Nation to Ban Plastic Bags

[n2doc]

In the past couple of years, cities and towns across the nation have started to ban plastic bags. Less than one percent of plastic bags are recycled, and it costs more to recycle a plastic bag that create a new one. That’s why Oahu, the most populated Hawaiian island, decided to join the other Hawaiian islands and officially ban plastic and other non-compostable bags from their stores. Beginning Wednesday, Hawaii will become the first state in the nation to ban plastic bags.

According to Mashable, the ban contains several important exemptions worth examining. Bags will still be allowed to wrap fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and take-out home deliveries. Still, retailers caught violating the ban face heavy penalties: anywhere $100 to $1,000 dollars a day, per violation. The island is encouraging businesses to offer alternative bags, including reusable totes, 100% recyclable paper bags, and compostable plastic bags.

Over 100 billion plastic bags are handed out in the United States every year. Chicago just banned plastic bags, and California is considering a similar ban. It remains to be seen whether Hawaii’s ban will trend nationwide, but either way, it’s a lovely blow to the highly profitable plastics industry, and a big step forward.

http://magazine.good.is/articles/hawaii-just-became-first-state-nation-ban-plastic-bags

[MADem]

1. Well, they haven't banned plastic bags--just NON-COMPOSTABLE ones.

They've been making biodegradable plastic bags for eons now....HI will just have to start using them.

http://biobagusa.com/products/retail-products/

[yeoman6987]

2. I do like the idea of using them for meats

But fruits and veggies are probably ok in cloth bags.

[MADem]

3. Those biodegradable bags feel just like plastic, they work great.

They break down over time, and faster in sunlight. They make a lot of them out of corn.

[yeoman6987]

6. I have not seen Them yet.

I look forward to seeing them though.

[MADem]

21. They're out there--a lot of "natural food" and "organic" shops are already using them.

Of course, nothing is ever easy in this world--there are people still fighting over how compostable the compostable plastic is, and as to the efficacy of the biodegradable stuff. But even at that, it's a start.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodegradable_plastic

[roody]

4. Great news!

My county has done so.

[NV Whino]

5. Actually, I think California beat them to it

But we've banded all bags… with the same exceptions.

What this means for me is I now have to buy plastic bags to put my recycling in rather than using the paper grocery bags. I'm not sure we've gained anything as far as the invironment goes.

[dbackjon]

12. I guess I am lucky that my city provides individual recycling bins, with weekly pick-up

just dump the items straight into the bin

[NV Whino]

13. By bins, I'm guessing you mean small containers

My pickup guys dumped the small bins in favor of large cans with little bitty wheels. I have to haul my trash and recycling and green waste 3/10 of a mile down my driveway to dump in the large cans. Green garbage and small yard waste goes in my compost heap. I could buy some kind of small bin to transport the recycling, but the trash really needs to be contained or it will end up all over the street.

I suppose this bag business is making some dent in the problem, but I'm not sure. Especially when veggies and meat still come in plastic bags. It will be a few years before we see any kind of result.

[dbackjon]

16. No - full size trash bin on wheels

Just for recycleables - every house has their own.

[NV Whino]

17. Yeah, that's what ours are

Brown, blue, green, but the auto loader on the truck isn't too accurate. Loose papers end up all over the street.

[dbackjon]

18. need new drivers then :)

I have never seen any debris from them, even when neighbors stuff them to overflowing.

[NV Whino]

19. That's probably true

[mopinko]

7. chicago, in our best chicago style, left a huge weasel hole in the law.

they banned those flimsy little bags. but they allow tougher "re-usable" plastic bags.
and since there was no requirement to either charge for the tougher bags or give incentives for re-use, should be a big fat goose egg all in all. i suspect a lot of folks wont even notice.

aside from what to use for the dog poop, it will be all the same here.

[packman]

8. I remember a time when there was NO plastic bags

Lived in a small town that had a butcher shop until the A&P opened. Johnny, the butcher, would wrap the meat in wax paper , then tear off a piece of white butcher paper and neatly tie the whole thing up with butcher twine.
Even when that shop closed, the ONLY bags you ever had a choice on was the brown paper bag which had , it seems, a million uses around the house.

[NV Whino]

14. We have to pay 10¢ for paper bags

I have no idea where that money goes.

[central scrutinizer]

9. they were banned here in Eugene a couple of years ago

And if you needed a paper bag, it would cost you a nickel. The outraged letters to the editor showed a level of stupidity rarely achieved. "The jack-booted thugs of political correctness strike at our basic freedoms again!" or some such shit. People said they were going to go to another town to shop rather than submit to such tyranny.

[awoke_in_2003]

10. Butchers paper worked fine in the past

and still does in better shops. Why must meat be in plastic?

[Laxman]

11. A Defeat For ALEC....

and a win for the environment. ALEC & the American Chemistry Council have put an awful lot of time and effort into fighting bans on plastic bags.

No matter where you reside, a ban or tax could be coming to a neighborhood near you. Remember the evidence, and reject any measure banning plastic bags, which puts jobs at risk and targets a single product and industry.

Right. Then there was their specious misinformation campaign that cloth bags were actually a health hazard and plastic bags were therefore better. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2196481 (reusable bags can lead to increased ER visits and even a spike in deaths! Oh My!)

It's always a good day when ALEC loses.

[Judi Lynn]

20. Didn't know about ALEC and plastic bags. Big, BIG reason to celebrate. May there be may more. n/t

[mahina]

15. It's a good start but it's causing havoc among retailers and the biggies just give away thicker bags

now, still plastic. Walmart is giving away heavier bags and so is Times.

Lots of retailers moved to paper bags, but even those aren't available from the usual sources for the regular prices.

This affects all retailers, not just grocery and drug stores. It's really good in motivation and concept but will need a fair amount of tweaking asap.

Unintended consequences. The loophole was written in by lobbyists of course.

*$^ %