Aloha from Hawaii!

Changes are coming here on Oahu that may affect visitors to Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa.

As of July 1, 2015, Oahu will impose a plastic bag ban at all stores. What does that mean to visitors of Aulani? If you plan to shop at Safeway or Target in nearby Kapolei (or in any grocery store, for that matter), plastic bags will not be available. Depending on the store, you may be able to purchase reusable shopping bags. A small amount of stores will have either recycled paper bags or plastic bags available and many stores will have reusable bags for sale at the checkout. If you have room, you can always pack a couple of reusable shopping bags in your luggage.

At Aulani, they use paper shopping bags in the shops which will continue. The Disney Store will offer reusable bags for sale, but will no longer use their regular plastic bags.

For those shopping at Costco in Kapolei, there will be no change since they don’t have bags anyway. Some exceptions to this ban include bags to carry fruit, vegetables, and meat at grocery stores, carryout bags at restaurants, and dry cleaning bags.

For more information on this change, check out http://www.opala.org/solid_waste/archive/plastic_bag_ban.html.

Aloha and we can’t wait to welcome you to Hawaii!