Honolulu restaurants are adjusting to the ban on plastic bags, plastic straws and plastic utensils that went into effect Thursday.

The ordinance is being implemented in two phases.

Phase 1 was supposed to take effect Jan. 1 but was postponed to Thursday to allow restaurants to use up their supply of plastic materials. It prohibits restaurants from giving out plastic bags, plastic utensils and plastic straws. Food vendors are permitted to give customers nonplastic disposable utensils only by request. Styrofoam is also not allowed at city facilities, events or programs.

Phase 2 of the ordinance will start Jan. 1. It bans food vendors from using Styrofoam and all disposable plastic food ware. Businesses in the city will also not be allowed to sell Styrofoam food ware and disposable plastic food ware. However, raw meat packaging and prepackaged food will be exempt.

Hokkaido Ramen Natsu­boshi in Kakaako switched from plastic bags and plastic utensils to paper bags and wooden forks and spoons.

“I don’t know if the customers like the wood forks over the plastic forks,” said Leo Komatsu, who is a chef there and handles the restaurant’s public relations.

“But I think it’s a good idea.”

He explained that the restaurant already used chopsticks and paper bowls for ramen takeout, so even Phase 2 of the ordinance would not have a significant impact. In fact, he said the wood utensils were less costly than the plastic ones they were using before.

However, the restaurant was still unsure of what it would do with its leftover plastic bags that it wasn’t able to use in time.

San Francisco Salad, located downtown, switched over to nonplastic utensils and nonplastic bags about a month ago when its supply of plastic bags ran out.

“The time has come. We should all do what’s necessary to protect the aina and get rid of the stuff that makes our beaches look bad,” said co-owner Phil Mowrey.

“Do the right thing.”

He said the new materials he uses are more expensive than the plastic, but that he is still glad that the ordinance was implemented.

He is looking to replace the plastic containers that the salads come in. The trouble the restaurant is having with finding a suitable replacement is that the plastic covers on the containers were clear so customers could see the salad they were buying, but the nonplastic options do not have that feature.

The Restaurant Association, the Hawaii Food Industry Association, the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce and the Retail Merchants Association have banded together to submit a request to the city Department of Environmental Services for a two-year industrywide exemption from the ordinance.

The Restaurant Association’s legislative liaison, Victor Lim, explained that the group is seeking the exemption to allow restaurants to recover from the economic hit from COVID-19.

“We’re not against a bill,” he said.

“We need to have some breathing space for the economy to settle down. Because the businesses cannot absorb the costs, the consumers have very little disposable income in this pandemic situation to pay higher costs for stuff.”

The ordinance does allow for businesses to apply for exemptions. If granted, the industrywide exemption would allow restaurants to not have to comply for two years. That would mean that Phase 1 would not start until 2023.

“It’s a big request and has huge ramifications. We provided all the data on our part, the reason of why we think an exemption is warranted,” Lim said.

“I don’t think we are asking for unreasonable requests here.”

Lim expected to hear back from the city in about a week.