The American Samoa House of Representatives has unanimously approved legislation to ban the distribution of plastic shopping bags in the territory.
The bill now goes to the Senate for their consideration and it's unclear as to how senators will act on the measure.
The new measure designates the American Samoa Environmental Protection Agency as the agency responsible for implementation and administration of this proposed law.
Exempted under the proposed law are shopping bags produced entirely from non-petroleum-based biodegradable plastic and compostable plastic bags, verified by the agency.
The bill does note the danger plastic bags pose to the environment, both on land and at sea.
