plastic bag ban

Oahu consumers will have until summer 2015 to get used to the idea of not getting a plastic bag when they shop at a grocery store or other retailer.

The City Council on Wednesday voted 7-1 to approve a bill that bans distribution of nonbiodegradable plastic bags at checkout counters, what's known in the retail industry as the "point of sale," effective July 1, 2015. Nonrecyclable paper bags will also be banned.

Council Chairman Ernie Martin, who co-authored the original bill, said the latest draft ensures retailers have ample time to use their existing inventories of bags.

Honolulu would be the last of Hawaii's counties to establish an islandwide ban on plastic bags. Maui and Kauai counties already have bans in place while Hawaii County passed a measure that will take effect next year.