Hawaii Bans Plastic Bags

As of July, 2015, Hawaii will become the first U.S. state to bar the "modern day tumbleweed" known as disposable plastic bags.

This month's move by Honolulu County bans non-biodegradable plastic bags at checkout, along with paper bags that aren't at least 40% recycled, reports MSNBC.com. Kauai and Maui counties already enforce bans, while Hawaii County's ban takes effect Jan. 17, 2013.

A beach goer holding an inflatable raft walks past a set of trash can set on Waikiki, in Honolulu. Effective Jul 15, 2013, Hawaii will become the first U.S. state to have a statewide ban on sales of single-use plastic bags at checkout.

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By Marco Garcia, AP

Honolulu's restrictions passed after a two-year campaign by the Sierra Club, an environmental group, and come as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography reports that the amount of plastic debris in an area of the Pacific Ocean known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" has grown a hundredfold over the past four decades.

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.

That date "gives us plenty of time to get ready," Carlisle told msnbc.com. "Retailers will be able to use up their inventory of bags and make arrangements to educate the public on the importance of bringing their own bag."

Kauai and Maui counties already enforce bans, while Hawaii County's ban takes effect on Jan. 17, 2013.

RELATED:  More national parks curb sales of disposable water bottles

Last month, meanwhile, SeaWorld announced it will eliminate plastic shopping bags at its 10 theme parks within the next year. An estimated 1.4 billion tons of trash, including plastic bags, enters the ocean each year. Marine animals such as sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, one of their favorite foods.

from http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2012/05/hawaii-will-be-first-state-to-ban-plastic-bags/695601/1