I never thought I would find plastic bags so evocative. But they are whirling around the dome of the Colorado State Capitol like a fluffy moon.
Yes, the plastic bag ban and plastic foam container ban will happen, but it will take some time.
Here’s the timeline:
Approved timeline for plastic bans
January 2023 – January 2024: 10-cent fee imposed on paper, plastic bags
January 2024: Single-use plastic bags banned at most stores unless the store still has a surplus of plastic bags. Polystyrene containers banned at restaurants or until existing stock is depleted. Ten-cent fee remains on paper bags
July 2024: Local governments are allowed to impose stricter rules on plastic
This list (and more of them) from CPR, which does a good job listing what can be used, and what cannot be used.
But thinking back to December 2019, there was a push to do this. Then, the pandemic came along, and the plastic bag ban sat in a corner.
So, here’s where we were, back then, from my blog:
“My sense is that unless you are living under a rock, the overwhelming presence of plastic in our lives is becoming problematic. Yes, plastic is lighter to transport. Yes, it doesn’t break like glass. But we’ve seen enough videos showing a whirlpool or such of discarded plastic in various places around the world. Also, when a plastic bag is hanging from a tree, it’s just very strange. Paper bags have their own issues, in terms of relying on trees and the amount of water it takes to make a paper bag. (Last summer, the Kroger grocery chain announced it would phase out the single-use plastic bags sometime in 2025. That seemed sort of slow, but it was going to cover a lot of territory.)
“Yesterday, the Denver City Council’s Finance and Governance Committee moved forward the concept of requiring stores charging $0.10 per single-use bag; 6 cents of that would go to the city, and the other 4 cents to the retailers. There are numerous exemptions. The city tried something like this before several years ago, but the mayor didn’t buy it. But now, he does. This measure will have a public hearing later this month, and I would think it will be supported by the entire Denver City Council.”
Since this year began, I have collected probably a zillion links but I’ll just list a few. They also address restaurants for take-out that cannot slip some condiments or napkins or plastic forks and spoons. You have to request them.
During May and June, things were moving along quickly. About time.
Chandler in Denver 