At the beginning of 2023, Colorado began enforcing a 10-penny charge on all single-use plastic and paper bags at major retailers in the hope it would encourage the use of reusable ones. This hope sprung into a massive success.
A report from 9News claims that Colorado used 1.5 billion fewer plastic or paper shopping bags since the implementation of the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act of 2021 that entered into force at the beginning of last year.
The 10-cent charge amounted to $5 million in revenue for the state, which was spent on a variety of programs including the free distribution of durable reusable shopping bags and educational resources for community groups.
Only stores with three or more locations were required to charge the bag fee.
“It took many years to get it passed, but we have become now a leader in the nation,” said Randy Moorman director of policy and community campaigns at Eco-Cycle, the non-profit advocacy group that came up with the 1.5 billion figure.
“…We’ve seen dramatic change in how we as customers go into our stores and use products like this. It’s become a pretty easy and regular change that we have accepted.”
Eco-Cycle finds that the usespan of your average plastic grocery store bag is about 12 minutes, while the petroleum-based plastic material takes hundreds of years to biodegrade, all while releasing harmful chemicals into whichever environment it is left in.
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Even whilst celebrating the success of last year, Moorman and Eco-Cycle hope to see similar results with another part of the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act that went into effect this year—a ban on polystyrene (Styrofoam) products used as containers for ready-to-eat food and drinks will be banned.
GNN reported that such a ban was also implemented this year in Washington, where polystyrene is a hazard to the state’s rich coastal wildlife.
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“I think it’s just phenomenal that we have been able in a relatively short amount of time make some dramatic changes that are not only going to have an impact on the day-to-day in our environment and health but on future generations, so that’s really exciting,” Moorman said.
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