WAILUKU - In three years, customers may no longer be given plastic bags when purchasing items at Maui County retail stores.

A report in the Maui News today said that earlier this week the County Council's Public Works and Facilities Committee took an initial step and recommended the adoption of a bill to bar retail businesses from giving out plastic bags at the point of sale beginning Jan. 11, 2011.

Plastic bags would be prohibited regardless of whether they are compostable, the Maui News said.

The proposal would allow the distribution of paper bags and reusable cloth and other environmentally friendly, alternative bags currently available for purchase in stores.

However, the bill does not include plastic bags used in stores to hold goods such as meats, poultry and produce.

"This is just a good first step in cleaning up the environment," committee Co-Chairman Mike Victorino said after the meeting.

He stressed that the measure was a plastic bag reduction bill.

Council Member Mike Molina, who introduced the bill last year, said after the meeting that he was pleased the proposal was moved out of committee.

But the proposal still needs to pass two readings by the full council before it could become law. The bill is scheduled for first reading in August.

"I don't think we're out of the woods yet," said Molina, who is a nonvoting member of the committee.

Plastic bags have become a nuisance on the island as light objects blow easily in the wind, littering parks, roadways and even creating an eyesore at the Central Maui landfill where the bags cling to fences around the facility. The bags also threaten animals that accidentally ingest the bags.

Opponents of the plastic-bag ban, including retail and food industry groups, say they are convenient and used for other purposes such as lining trash cans. They say the bag ban may end up costing businesses more money.

Carol Pregill, president of the Retail Merchants of Hawaii, which opposes the bill, said on Wednesday that the measure will be costly for merchants who could pay more for shipping if they brought in all paper bags.

"We all know shipping costs have gone up," she said.

Pregill added that it already costs 7 or 8 cents more for retailers to bring in the paper bags when compared with plastic bags, which are lighter and more compact.

She maintained that paper bags cause more pollution during manufacturing than the production of plastic bags.

Pregill said she would like to continue to work with the council on the proposal and find a "happy medium" for everyone, including consumers. She agreed with council members that more public education and reusable bags sold in stores would go further to address the problem.

Also at the meeting, Cheryl Okuma, director of the Department of Environmental Management, continued to have concerns about the county's enforcement of the plastic-bag ban.

Administrative rules would be needed to enforce the new ordinance, and a new staff person would need to be hired and trained to run the program, which includes civil fines for violators, she said.

Okuma agreed to the start date of January 2011.

Victorino said after the meeting that he has been assured by county administration that the public and the council will be made aware of the administrative rules when they are drafted.

Victorino said the three-year period before the ordinance goes into effect will allow enough time to set up the program and provide public education. The time will also allow businesses to deplete their stocks of plastic bags.

Molina said the introduction of his bill encouraged the retail industry "to make some changes already."

Retailers and retail groups have started campaigns promoting the use of cloth bags sold in stores. Some retailers also give customers credits when they use the environmentally friendly cloth bags.

Consumers already have started using the cloth bags instead of the plastic ones, Molina said.

Other islands have also been interested in Maui's proposal and have asked for copies of the bill, which Molina said he modeled on a Mainland bill banning plastic bags.

Reducing residents' use of plastic bags will enhance the beauty of the island, which relies on visitors returning, he said.

"I see it as a win-win situation for our economy and our residents," he said. "It's an improvement to our quality of life."

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.