Ordinance 2012-01 Relating to Plastic Bag Reduction

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COUNTY OF HAWAII ORDINANCE NO. 1 STATE OF HAWAII BILL NO. I 17 ( DRAFT 2 ) AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 14, HAWAII COUNTY CODE 1983 (2005 EDITION, AS AMENDED) BY ADDING A NEW ARTICLE RELATING TO PLASTIC BAG REDUCTION. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII: SECTION 1. Findings and purpose. It is the County's responsibility to preserve the health of its residents and natural beauty of the island. Plastic bags, though a convenient commodity, have been recognized as detrimental to the environment and to the Island of Hawaii for the following reasons: 1. Plastic bags do not degrade into safe compounds. Consequently, they introduce unsafe chemicals into the environment. 2. Whether because of poor management or irresponsible disposal, plastic bags contribute to unsightly litter. Moreover, these plastic bags create the potential for death of marine and pasture animals through entanglement and ingestion. 3. Because plastic bags do not biodegrade, but instead break down into smaller and smaller pieces, plastic bags simplify the introduction of toxins into the marine environment, increasing the overall toxin concentration into the oceans, and inevitably into fish and other marine wildlife. 4. Plastic bags create an impediment to the County's landfill diversion goals. The council finds that, in order to preserve the health, safety, welfare, and scenic and natural beauty of the County of Hawaii, the use of plastic bags must be regulated. The Hawaii County General Plan, Environmental Quality Element 4.3, includes the following policies for the County: "(a) Take positive action to further maintain the quality of the environment. (b) Reinforce and strengthen established standards where it is necessary, principally by initiating, recommending, and adopting ordinances pertaining to the control of pollutants that affect the environment. (d) Encourage the concept of recycling agricultural, industrial, and municipal waste material." The council recognizes the need to proactively address the environmental harm resulting from the proliferation of plastic bags. The purpose of this article is to reduce the use of plastic bags and to encourage the use of environmentally preferable alternatives, such as reusable bags. This ordinance addresses only plastic shopping bags distributed to customers at checkout.