SEATTLE >> Plastic straws and utensils are banned at Seattle bars and restaurants under a rule that took effect Sunday.

Seattle is believed to be the first major U.S. city to ban single-use plastic drinking straws and utensils in food service, according to Seattle Public Utilities. The eco-conscious city has been an environmental leader in the U.S., working to aggressively curb the amount of trash that goes into landfills.

The city’s 5,000 restaurants — including Seattle-based Starbucks outlets — will now have to use reusable or compostable utensils, straws and cocktail picks, though the city is encouraging businesses to consider not providing straws altogether or switching to paper rather than compostable plastic.

Business groups have opposed the idea in Hawaii, where legislation to ban plastic straws died this year, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Sunday, with the Hawaii Restaurant Association and Hawaii Food Industry Association testifying against the measure.

Retirement savings gain, still falling short

Millennials’ retirement savings have nearly doubled since 2013, while baby boomers and Gen Xers have seen their median retirement accounts surge by 60 percent, according to a new survey by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.

Today’s median retirement savings are far short of levels needed to replace a high percentage of workers’ pre-retirement income. Boomers have a median $164,000 saved, Gen Xers (born between 1965 and 1978) have $72,000 and millennials (defined in the survey as born between 1979 and 2000) have $19,000.

ON THE MOVE

RKT Media Hawaii has announced that Jill Kuramoto is its new chief communications officer and client development director. She was previously director of communications for the state Senate and managed the Honolulu Board of Water Supply Communications office. Prior to that, Kuramoto was a reporter and anchor at KITV4 for nearly 20 years.

Real estate firm Locations has announced that Melvin Leon Guerrero is its newest Partner as of June 12. He has more than 10 years’ experience in the real estate industry in Hawaii.