City Council OKs plastic bag ban
HONOLULU - The Honolulu City Council on Wednesday approved a bill banning the distribution of plastic bags by retailers.
The bill prohibits all nonrecyclable paper and nonbiodegradable plastic bags or bags that can't be broken down naturally in the environment. The ban would takes effect in July 2015.
The vote was 7-1, with Councilman Nestor Garcia casting the only no vote. Garcia says he prefers imposing a fee for plastic bags, at least temporarily.
The bill now goes to Mayor Peter Carlisle.
Councilman Stanley Chang did not attend the council meeting at Kapolei Hale.
Honolulu is the last county in Hawaii to ban plastic shopping bags. They're already prohibited in Maui and Kauai counties. Hawaii County's ban takes effect in two years.
