On April 1, 2020, former Hawaiʻi County Mayor Harry Kim suspended the ban on single-use plastic checkout bags under his third Supplementary Emergency Proclamation as an early response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The suspension was effective for 60 days, i.e., until May 30, 2020.
As of June 1, 2020, the County of Hawai‘i Single-Use Plastic Checkout Bag Ban was no longer suspended and currently remains in effect. Big Island businesses are currently prohibited from providing single-use plastic checkout bags to customers for the purpose of transporting groceries or other goods.
A copy of the Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance Administrative Rules and County Code (Chapter 20) can be found here.
