Friday, May 18, 2012

First State To Ban Plastic Bags: Hawaii

Maspeth, NY 718-416-1656 
 
Paper or plastic – that is the question. At the supermarket of course.

Honolulu County has joined the other three counties in the state of Hawaii to join in on the banning of plastic bags. Congratulations to Hawaii, as they are deemed the first state in the United States to officially ban plastic bags.

The mayor of Honolulu, Peter Carlisle, was on the fence about supporting this decision as he wanted to collect more public input due to enforcement and cost concerns. But when the ban was signed, he was committed to take this next step.

“This is groundbreaking. By signing this environmentally-friendly bill, Honolulu joined our neighbor island counties,” Carlisle said. “Hawaii has become the only state in the US where every county has plastic bag legislation.”

The county law bans non-biodegradable plastic bags at checkout as well as paper bags that are not at least 40 percent recycled. Retailers in Honolulu County have until July 1, 2015 to make the change (http://goo.gl/pf141).

Another reason why this ban was put in place is so retailers can bring in their own bags and help support a cleaner, safer environment. This will be a challenge for shoppers as they now need to switch to reusable bags.

Borowide Recycling can handle all of your recycling needs. Give us a call at 718-416-1656 or visit www.borowiderecycling.com for more information.

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