Hawaii Lawmakers Chewing on Ban of Plastic Utensils, Bottles and Food Containers (hawaiinewsnow.com)

Plastic bags are out. Plastic straws are on their way out. Now Hawaii lawmakers want to take things a big step further. From a report: They're considering an outright ban on all sorts of single-use plastics common in the food and beverage industry, from plastic bottles to plastic utensils to plastic containers. Senate Bill 522 has already passed through two committees and is on its way to two more. Supporters say it's an ambitious and broad measure that would position Hawaii as a leader in the nation -- and ensure that Hawaii's oceans have a fighting chance as the global plastic pollution problem worsens. But others worry about the practicality of such a proposal.

Comments

Already starting to happen on the west coast

[Hadlock]

Lots of compostable, corn-based or other plant-based single use silverware avalible now. It's about 10-15% more expensive, but right now the cost is about $free so,
 
Paper bags are pretty popular in larger cities, Safeway near my house has tried to introduce thicker plastic bags to meet the "Reusable" mandate by the city, but locals are still requesting paper.

Why not make littering illegal?

[acoustix]

Oh wait...

I saw a stat that suggest that as much as 80% of the plastic waste in the ocean is fishing netting. The vast majority of the rest is supposedly from underdeveloped counties. Something like 0.1% of the plastic waste in the ocean is from the U.S. So these laws won't make a difference in the whole scheme of things.

Why not focus on the real problems that will have a real effect?

Are are there alternative motives involved?