In 2015, all counties in Hawaii will have a ban on plastic bags being distributed at the point of sale in retail stores. Last week, Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle signed a ban on all non-recyclable paper and non-biodegradable plastic bags to take effect July 1, 2015.
Honolulu was the last Hawaiian county to put such a ban in place.
There are exceptions to the rule, such as plastic bags used to wrap up live fish, fruit, and flowers. Mat McDermott at TreeHugger has the full lowdown on the exceptions and limitations of the ban.
Still, Hawaii makes history with its new law achieved by taking the issue from locality to locality.
Several areas in California, including Los Angeles Country and San Francisco, have made news by prohibiting stores from giving out plastic bags, but an attempt to take that ban statewide failed in 2010.