Starting today, Honolulu businesses will charge at least 15 cents per bag provided to customers at checkout.
Bill 59, which Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed into law last July, requires businesses to charge the fee on compostable, recyclable paper or reusable carryout bags.
And by Jan. 1, 2020, businesses will no longer provide compostable plastic bags or “plastic film bags,” that have a thickness of 10 mils (.001 of an inch) or less.
Honolulu has had a plastic bag ban since July 1, 2015, but a loophole allowed retailers to distribute thicker bags as “reusable” bags, which conservationists said were even more harmful to the environment. The bill sought to close that loophole.
As today’s deadline approached, Foodland, Safeway, Times, Down to Earth and Whole Foods Market have been reminding customers of the charge.
“Foodland is preparing customers for the new 15-cent charge by communicating the change through signs at checkout at our Oahu stores, and have asked our cashiers to remind customers to ‘Choose to Reuse’ and ‘Go Reusable’ and please bring in their own bags,” Foodland spokeswoman Sheryl Toda said in an email.
Customers had mixed reactions to the fee.
THE NEW PLASTIC BAG FEE
The 15-cent fee applies to:
>> Bags for groceries and retail goods
It does NOT apply to:
>> Bags for loose fruits, vegetables
>> Bags for nuts, ground coffee, grains
>> Bags for frozen meat or fish
>> Bags for flowers, potted plants
>> Bags for small hardware items
>> Bags for prepared foods, baked goods, beverages
>> Bags for prescription medications
>> Bags for home newspaper delivery
>> Bags for dry cleaning or garment bags
>> Bags for live fish and insects sold in pet stores
Felicia Bonilla of Makiki, who moved to Oahu from Philadelphia two years ago, said she had to get used to bringing her own bags.
“I think we’re pretty used to it now,” said Bonilla outside of Down to Earth in Kakaako. “We keep a stash of bags in the trunk of the car. At least if we forget in the store, we can still bag it in the car. It’s not that hard and you get cute bags.”
Down to Earth has been distributing small flyers at checkouts to remind customers of the impending 15-cent charge since mid-June. Down to Earth also emailed a reminder to customers.
Josephine Dela Cruz and her niece Saleen Banquicio of Honolulu, who were having lunch at Whole Foods Market in Kakaako, had differing perspectives on the issue.
Whole Foods Market currently offers customers paper bags at no charge, but will begin charging 15 cents per paper bag to comply with Honolulu’s ordinance. At checkout, a small note posted on the scanner notified customers of the law.
Dela Cruz, a baby boomer, said she did not like the idea of being charged for a bag at the grocery store.
“You go to a store, you expect a bag or a package, and you’re taking that away from customers that are patronizing the stores, because the prices in the stores are high enough, anyways,” she said.
At Costco, she said, at least boxes are provided.
“I’m not going to carry a turkey under my arm,” she said.
Banquicio, a millennial, said she was OK with bringing a reusable bag.
“We save more money if people use their reusable bags,” she said. “It will save the planet.”
Leann Martin of Honolulu, who was at the Beretania Street Safeway, said she keeps bags on hand in her car.
“I have no problem at all with it,” said Martin. “I have my own collection of (reusable) bags. I just think it becomes a habit. I don’t mind paying 15 cents either. I think it’s good for the environment, and it’s not hard to do, so why not?”
Businesses who violate the law could be fined $100 to $1,000 for each day of violation.
The city Department of Environmental Services said it sent notices to more than 10,000 businesses in November 2017 informing them of the upcoming changes, with a followup reminder of the new fee requirement in April.
