Honolulu City Council Rejects Plastic Bag Fee

The Honolulu City Council for the City and County of Honolulu narrowly rejected a 5-cent plastic bag fee in August 2010 by a 5-4 vote.  The counties of Maui and Kaua'i have already adopted plastic bag bans.

• Honolulu City Counsel (HI)
  • ordinance, rejected 8/12/10
    • 5-cents fee on non-compostable plastic bags
    • applies to ALL businesses
    • ban on all plastic bags (including compostable) after five years

• Kaua'i County (HI) Adopts Plastic Bag Ban

  • ordinance, adopted 10/12/09
  • ban on all  non-compostable plastic bags
  • applies to ALL businesses
  • purpose is to encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags when shopping
  • does not prevent the retail establishment from providing recyclable bags for sale

• County of Maui

  • ordinance, adopted 8/25/08
  • ban on all plastic bags
  • implementation scheduled for 1/11/11
  • residents have expressed concerns that terms need to be clarified