In October of 2009, the County of Kauai passed the Plastic Bag Reduction Ordinance No. 885. Under this new law all retail establishments are required to provide only recyclable paper bags, biodegradable bags, and/or reusable bags to their customers. Retailers are allowed to recover the cost of bags by charging customers. The new law will take effect on January 11th, 2011.

In an ongoing effort to reduce waste at the source, the County of Kauai has purchased 25,000 reusable bags made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. These bags are washable, durable, and hold a large volume of groceries. The bags will be distributed to the public free of charge through local grocery stores and  will help familiarize residents with reuseable shopping bags.

The criteria to receive free bags from the County, requires individuals to 1) be a Kauai resident; 2) sign a pledge stating that they would use the bags in place of disposable paper or plastic bags while grocery shopping 3) use the honor system of taking only 2 bags per person 4) read the ½ sheet describing the product they are using.