The Public Works and Sustainability Committee is taking testimony on a bill that would ban single-use plastic checkout bags on Oahu.

Hawaii’s three other islands have implemented similar laws, and the Hawaii Legislature has considered a 10-cent fee on all single-use checkout bags, including both plastic as well as paper.

City Environmental Services Director Tim Steinberger said the ban would cost money to implement and reduce the electricity produced by HPOWER. Most importantly, Steinberger said plastic bags represent a relatively small portion of items that fall off of trucks or otherwise end up as litter.

Most written testimony submitted before today was opposed to the measure:

• Leimomi Kahn – Supports 
• Hawaii Food Industry Association – Opposes
• Susan M. Houghton, Safeway Inc. – Opposes
• Bob Gutierrez, Times Supermarket & Big Save Supermarket – Opposes
• Paul Kosasa, ABC Stores – Opposes
• Dexter Yamada, DYD – Opposes
• Michelle Garrette – Supports
• Carol Pregill, Retail Merchants of Hawaii – Opposes
• Campaign for Recycling – Supports
• Randy Fernley, Coral Fish Hawaii – Comments

(Photo by Flickr user Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com)