Big Isle bill to ban plastic bags vetoed

The acting mayor cites excessively high penalties and higher costs of paper bags

HILO » Big Island acting Mayor Dixie Kaetsu has vetoed a County Council bill that would have banned businesses from offering plastic shopping bags in a year.

"The veto really is a statement against an overwhelming number of people." Pete Hoffmann Hawaii County Council chairman

Kaetsu said she was opposed for many reasons, including nonprofit groups and garage sales being banned from using the bags; the higher cost of paper bags which require as much energy to produce as plastic bags; and excessively high penalties, as much as $1,000 a day, that could fall on individual clerks rather than the stores employing them.

The bag ban passed in the County Council by a vote of 5-3. At least six votes would be needed to overturn the veto, which appears unlikely.

Pete Hoffmann, chairman of the County Council who introduced the bill, said he was "disappointed" with the administration's decision and reproached it for its "lack of leadership."

"We talk about the protection of the aina, but when we take a small step in that direction we find reasons not to proceed," he said. "The veto really is a statement against an overwhelming number of people."

He said more comments have come in about the bill than any other piece of legislation in his four years on the Council, with about 90 percent of comments supporting it.

"How come Maui can pass a bill like this and we can't?" he asked.

Last month, Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares signed a similar bill into law, effective Jan. 11, 2011.

Hoffmann said Big Island Mayor Harry Kim's administration never voiced concerns about the bill although it was heard in committee and twice on the Council.

In fact, a county official in charge of the Solid Waste Division of the Department of Environmental Management supported the bill, he said.

"I'm very disappointed at the lack of leadership that the administration has demonstrated on this issue," he said. "I do think people need to again go around and look at the environment. If we are serious about protecting the environment, we need to take some steps."

One of Kaetsu's objections was the high fines the bill would impose, but bill supporter and mayoral candidate Angel Pilago said there is a need to take "firm action."

"We have to be strong. Anything else would send a very weak signal about the county's commitment to waste management," he said.

Kaetsu said educating people to carry reusable bags would be better than the bag ban.

Kaetsu is acting mayor while Kim recovers from heart surgery.