Hawaii is first state to officially ban plastic bags -- will other states follow suit?

Hawaii officially instituted a ban on plastic bags on July 1st, setting the stage for plastic bag-banning around the world.

While cities and towns across the U.S. have been implementing plastic bag bans, less than one percent of used plastic bags are actually recycled. Unfortunately, this could be due to the harsh reality that it actually costs more to recycle a plastic bag than it does to create a new one.

Mashable also noted the importance of exploring the exemptions that are included in the plastic bag ban. Although Hawaii is making an effort to ban the plastic bags, they are still permitted for use in the following situations: to wrap fruits, veggies, meat, and fish, and for take out home deliveries.

With that being said, if a retailer violates the ban, they face huge consequences, with monetary fines of $100 to $1,000 per day, per violation. This will be enforced by the four City Councils of Hawaii.

In the U.S., over 100 billion plastic bags are handed our annually. While Chicago just put a ban on plastic bags, California is in the works of considering a similar ban. Hawaii's ban is a huge step, and it'll be interesting to see if more states follow suit.

More from AOL.com:
UK foreign minister makes climate change demand
Mom designs amazing hearing aids for children
Parents force teen to live in woods after eating Pop-Tart