Hawaii Becomes First State To Ban Plastic Bags At Grocery Stores

By Mary Beth Quirk July 2, 2015

(Taber Andrew Bain)

While some cities in the U.S. have passed laws that ban plastic bags at grocery stores, Hawaii now stands alone as the first and only state that prohibits supermarkets from handing out the non-biodegradable carriers at the checkout.

The City and County of Honolulu’s bag ban went into effect on July 1, and covers Hawaii’s most populated island, Oahu, reports the Huffington Post. Oahu is the last populated island in the state to put the kibosh on the distribution of plastic bags. Though bags aren’t allowed anywhere in Hawaii with this recent ban going into effect, it’s different from other states, as the change happened on a county-by-county basis.

California likely would’ve been the first to ban bags at the statewide level after recently passing a law that outlawed plastic plastic bags, but that measure is on hold for the moment, until a referendum in November that will decide its fate.

On the municipal level, cities like Portland, OR, Chicago and Brownsville, TX have been successful in banning plastic bags in the past.

No matter where you live, bringing a reusable bag along with you to the grocery store is a good idea: It keeps non-recyclable plastic out of landfills, which is good for the Earth. And what’s good for the Earth is good for you.