The proposal to ban plastic shopping bags

Seeking to end the flow of windblown plastic shopping bags across the Maui County landscape, County Council members joined a worldwide debate on use of the petroleum-based bags Wednesday.

Manufacturing the bags requires millions of gallons of crude oil annually, can choke sea life that mistakes the bags for food and blow out of landfills to drape the tree limbs and roadsides, he said.

Discussion of the issue included a review of efforts elsewhere to deal with the problem of plastic bag litter. Last year, San Francisco became the first United States city to issue a complete ban. Countries from China to Ireland and Australia have instituted plans to either phase out or tax the bags.