Fort Collins Considers Shopping Bag Fee
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4)- Last year Fort Collins said "no" to charging a fee for using plastic and paper bags. Now the city council is considering the idea once again.
Proponents of the fee claim it could cut down on pollution and force people to think differently about one-time-use bags.
Opponents aren't so sure.
"Show me that eliminating these bags is the best environmental decision right now," said one Fort Collins resident at the public comment session on Thursday afternoon.
Fort Collins residents go through 50 million bags each year.
"We should try to get away from being such a single-use disposal society," said City of Fort Collins spokeswoman Susie Gordon.
Last year the city council voted down a proposed 10-cent fee per bag. Now they're revisiting the proposal with a five-cent fee per bag.
At least one Fort Collins grocer is neutral on the idea.
"If it's set up right, if we get enough of that fee to pay for the bag, we can live with that," said Beaver's Market owner Bryan Beavers.
Boulder and Aspen passed similar bag fee ordinances. Denver shot down the idea.
If approved in Fort Collins it could take effect as early as June.
