Fort Collins Banning Single-Use Plastic Bags At Large Grocery Stores
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) -- Fort Collins voters approved a ballot measure banning single-use plastic bags from large grocers. That ban will start in May 2022. Paper bags will be available at large stores for a 12-cent fee.
According to the ordinance, Fort Collins consumers use approximately 50 million disposable bags from large grocers each year.
"...the use of plastic or paper disposable bags also has other significant impacts on the environment on a local and global scale, including greenhouse gas emissions, litter, harm to wildlife, atmospheric acidification, and water consumption, in addition to solid waste generation," the ordinance states.
Nearly 59% of voters (23,657 votes) favored the ban, according to unofficial results posted by the City Clerk's Office on Wednesday.
In the future, the city council could expand the policy to include smaller retailers and other single-use plastics, like takeout food containers, straws and utensils.
There could soon be a state law designed to reduce the use of plastic bags. Colorado lawmakers are considering a bill that would require all stores to charge at least 10 cents for a single-use plastic bag, and eventually replace them with paper bags.