A bill to ban non-biodegradable plastic bags has been re-introduced in American Samoas' House of Representatives.
It seeks to outlaw plastic shopping bags which use fossil fuels in their manufacture and which take decades to break down.
The bill states says this type of plastic bag causes long lasting damage to the environment, contributes to litter, crowds landfills with non biodegradable waste and is dangerous to wildlife.
Our correspondent Monica Miller says 90-percent of plastic bags used by retailers in the Territory fall into this category.
"Archie Taotasi Soliai, representative of Ituau, has again moved to introduce a bill that he had introduced in the last session, it was passed in the House but the Senate never acted on it. So he wants to ban these plastic bags altogether."
Monica Miller says American Samoa's Chamber of Commerce is also trying to promote recycle bags among local businesses.
The Coral Reef Initiative Coordinator with the Coral Reef Advisory Group Jeremy Goldberg says the bill will help protect the territory's marine resources.
