MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Oahu — The main exchange is one of several retail outlets at Marine Corps Base Hawaii that are eliminating conventional plastic bags.

Since the Jan. 1 switch, businesses are offering paper bags to customers who don't have reusable totes. Other base retailers, including the Marine Mart, have stopped ordering plastic bags and will no longer use them once the current supply runs out, base officials said.

The move away from plastic is part of a directive from Col. Robert Rice, commanding officer of the sprawling base, to be environmentally friendly.

"What we're trying to address is the larger picture of encouraging the use of reusable products," Maj. David Huddock, director, Environmental Department, MCB Hawaii, said in a news release. "We want to reduce the amount of waste we generate."

Huddock said the intention of the plastic bag ban is to reduce litter and the amount of plastic in the base landfill located near the MCBH Rifle Range. The base is subject to fines of up to $25,000 from the Hawaii Department of Health for uncollected loose trash, which could include abandoned plastic bags, according to the news release.

Plastic is a growing component of solid waste for cities nationwide. More than 14 million tons of plastic was thrown out nationwide in 2007, according to the Environmental Protection Agency's Web site. The Fresno, Calif., city government's Web site notes plastic can take up to 700 years to decompose in a landfill, the news release said.

The move for all Marine Corps Community Services businesses to reduce plastic bags is an ongoing project. Vendors like the Kingpin Snack Bar at K-Bay Lanes have already eliminated plastic bags, while others have scheduled specific dates to stop.

The Marine Corps Exchange Annex on base will discontinue offering plastic bags by March 1. The Manana Housing Complex's Mini-Mart in Pearl City will stop by April 1.