Hawaii County merchants would no longer be allowed to give customers plastic shopping bags beginning next year, after a County Council vote on Wednesday that followed similar plastic bag bans in Maui and Kauai counties.

Representatives for Hawaii Mayor Billy Kenoi did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday on whether he will approve the bill, which would not go into effect for a year.

Earlier proposed provisions calling for financial penalties for violations were replaced by a call for the county’s environmental management director to come up with a plan for education and enforcement within 180 days of Kenoi’s possible approval, said Councilman Pete Hoffmann, who pushed for the change.

Hoffmann insisted after Wednesday’s 5-3 council vote that the bill does not "ban" plastic bags, but rather "reduces plastic" on Hawaii island.

"It reduces a major source of plastic in the environment," Hoffmann said. "It’s not a ban. It’s a reduction. There are still plenty of plastic bags and plastic materials left in the marketplace."

Hoffmann said he believes that shoppers quickly will adjust to bringing in their own reusable shopping bags, while retailers come up with suitable alternatives to plastic.

Representatives for major Hawaii island grocery stores did not respond to requests for comment on the Council’s vote Wednesday.

"There are many, many conflicting stories about how much plastic can be reduced," Hoffmann said. "But we’ll probably see a lot more paper bags — and that’s fine."