In 2021, the Colorado General Assembly passed and Governor Polis signed the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act. Effective January 1, 2023, it required Colorado businesses with three or more locations to impose a $.10 fee on single-use plastic and paper bags. Alternatively, customers could use their own bags. BeeGreen reusable grocery bags are my personal favorite. (link here) The bag fee does not apply to customers who can provide proof of participation in a federal or state food assistance program such as SNAP or EBT.
The second phase of this Act will be implemented on January 1, 2024. It will ban single-use plastic bags at most stores. Stores will only provide paper bags and will continue to charge $.10 per bag. The stores can keep 40% of the bag fee revenue, and are required to remit 60% to the municipality or county where the store is located. There is an exception for restaurants and small stores that operate solely in Colorado and have three or fewer locations, which permits them to continue to provide single-use plastic carryout bags.
It also prohibits polystyrene foam takeout containers (commonly known as Styrofoam) at restaurants, although retail food establishments that purchased Styrofoam products prior to January 1, 2024, may continue to use them until their supply is depleted.
The Act does not apply to materials used in the packaging of pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices, or dietary supplements or any equipment or materials used to manufacture pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices, or dietary supplements.
The Act also authorizes a local government to enforce against violations of the Act, those committed by a retail food establishment located within a school, with a civil penalty of up to $500 for a second violation or up to $1,000 for a third or subsequent violation.
With these changes, Colorado joins other states who also have prohibited plastic bags, including California, Hawaii, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Oregon, Vermont, and New Jersey, and soon Rhode Island.
If you still have thin film plastic to recycle, you can take them to your neighborhood grocery store (link here). Accepted items include retail, carryout, produce, newspaper, bread, and dry cleaning bags; zip-top food storage bags; plastic shipping envelopes, bubble wrap and air pillows; product wrap on cases of water and soda bottles, paper towels, napkins, disposable cups, bathroom tissue, diapers, and female sanitary products; furniture and electronic wrap; and plastic cereal box liners. Do not recycle degradable or compostable bags or film packaging; pre-washed salad mix bags; frozen food bags; candy bar wrappers; chip bags or six-pack rings.
–by Lynn D