Bill 40 is an important piece of legislation passed by the Honolulu City Council on December 4, 2019. It is one of the strongest single-use plastic bans in the country, phasing out a variety of single-use plastics, including utensils, polystyrene clamshells, and straws. However, it also allows for exemptions in specific fields (including the medical field).

 

This bill does not include prepackaged, shelf-stable, and grab-and-go foods (this includes items such as poi bags, musubi wrappers, and bottled water).

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Bill 40 could not have been passed without the help of non-profits, businesses, councilmembers, youth, and community members. The youth turnout in particular was influential with over 1,500 youth expressing their support via the signature scroll as pictured above and to the upper left.

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With Mayor Kirk Caldwell's signature (pictured to the bottom left), Bill 40 is now law as Ordinance 19-30.