Boulder Eyes Power To Ban Single-Use Plastics

BOULDER, CO -- Two bills likely to come before the Colorado State Legislature this session would give individual cities more power to ban single-use plastic items, and according to reporting from the Daily Camera, local governments in Boulder County would quite interested in those privileges. Styrofoam take-out containers came in high on the do-not-wish list, and although Boulder implemented a bag fee at local grocery stores in 2013, and other county municipalities have considered following suit, the Camera reports.

One bill, SB19-034, has already been introduced. It seeks to give local governments the authority to mandate that restaurants provide take-out containers that can either be recycled or composted. The second bill, which could be introduced as early as this week, according to the Camera's sources, would give local governments the power to create broader bans on plastic materials, including bags, packaging and labeling. It has been backed by the Colorado Municipal League.

"Right now, there are residents, they want to be able to petition their local government to try and reduce the amount of single-use waste consumption in their communities," Colorado Municipal League Lobbyist Morgan Cullen told the Camera. "And they're currently precluded from doing that."

Get the full story from the Daily Camera here.

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