Hawaii is continuing to lead the nation in public interest initiatives as just banning the sale of plastic bags not even one month after the island state banned smoking in all public places.
The move comes as fewer than one percent of plastic bags are recycled, and the cost of recycling an old bag is greater than the cost to create a new one. This is the reason Oahu, the most populated island in Hawaii, joined the other Hawaiian islands and officially banned bags made from plastic or any other non-compostable bags from their stores.
Which means that as of tomorrow, Hawaii will become the first state in the nation to totally ban plastic bags.
While the bag ban is fairly comprehensive they will still be permitted to wrap fruits, vegetables, fish, meat and take-out food deliveries.
Retailers caught flouting the ban will face heavy fines: anywhere $100 to $1,000 a day, per violation.
Instead of plastic, state officials are encouraging businesses to offer alternative bags, such as reusable totes, compostable plastic bags, and 100 percent recyclable paper bags.
With over 100 billion plastic bags handed out each year states and cities are starting to take note of the problem with Chicago recently banning them and California considering a similar ban.
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