Kenoi signs bag ban

BY NANCY COOK LAUER | WEST HAWAII TODAY

HILO — Hawaii County on Tuesday became the third county in the state to ban plastic bags at the retail checkout, when Mayor Billy Kenoi signed a bill putting the process into motion.

“In the end, this bill is not about plastic bags, politics or the Hawaii County Council. It’s about protecting our beautiful island,” Kenoi said in a message to council members. “While I may have preferred a slightly different version, I will sign Bill 17, Draft 2 because it is about the values we hold as a community to provide a positive future for our children.”

The ordinance goes into effect one year from Tuesday. It gives the Department of Environmental Management 180 days to draft rules and procedures to implement and enforce the act, and it allows retailers to sell plastic bags to shoppers during the first year in order to exhaust their inventory.

Maui and Kauai have had similar bans for about a year.

Kohala Councilman Pete Hoffmann, who has tried to pass bills restricting plastic bags for most of his seven years on the council, said he “applauds” the mayor for signing the bill. Hoffmann had worked with administration officials and revised the bill in response to their objections.

“It will take a little time to get it going, but I’m hoping as it is implemented it will be a good step forward to address some of the environmental issues on this island,” Hoffmann said.

Kenoi has said that people on both sides of the issue were passionate in their opinions, and he heard from many before making the decision to sign the bill. He said in his message to the council that testimony leaned in favor of a veto, but he is signing the bill as part of his commitment to zero waste, and as a signal of cooperation with the council.

In return, Kenoi said in his message, the council can cooperate on an organic waste resolution and a recyclables hauling bill that have run into opposition from council members.

“My signing of this bill today also presents opportunities for broader expression of our county’s commitment to zero waste,” Kenoi said. “I look forward to the council’s cooperation.”

The bill signing wasn’t good news for the Retail Merchants of Hawaii, Hawaii Food Industry Association, ABC Stores, KTA Super Stores and a number of individuals who were among those submitting testimony opposing the bag reduction bill.

Retail Merchants President Carol Pregill told West Hawaii Today on Tuesday that retailers have been lobbying for action at the state level that would pre-empt the separate ordinances being passed by the neighbor islands. There are bills still alive in the Legislature with the second legislative session of the biennium beginning today.

Pregill doesn’t hold much hope for such a statewide law.

But she hopes that legislation at least will be passed extending the period retailers can sell bags to customers and expanding the requirement to paper bags.

Three different islands with three different plastic bag ordinances just adds to the cost of doing business, she said, because of costs and delays associated with shipping the bags from Oahu and trying to determine how many bags to send to each destination. In addition, she said, Hawaii County’s ordinance lacks definitions and details, so retailers won’t have a very good idea until 180 days before the ban kicks in.

“Having a uniform regulation really does save money,” Pregill said. “The consumer ends up paying. Everything is passed on to the consumer. These costs can’t be absorbed and people need to be paid.”

ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com