Reopening without increasing unnecessary single-use waste

This week, a coalition of zero waste advocates sent a letter to Governor Polis outlining our recommendations for reopening restaurants and retail stores without unnecessarily increasing the use of single-use products. As the letter states – “It’s a false choice to have to choose between reducing unnecessary waste and protecting our residents and employees from COVID-19.”

This week, a coalition of zero waste advocates sent a letter to Governor Polis outlining our recommendations for reopening restaurants, food establishments and retail stores without unnecessarily increasing the use of single-use products. 

As the letter states – “It’s a false choice to have to choose between reducing unnecessary waste and protecting our residents and employees from COVID-19.”

In response to COVID-19, the plastics industry has been hard at work convincing decision makers and the public that disposable plastic bags and other products are safer and healthier, ignoring the huge public health costs of producing a product from fossil fuels that takes centuries to break down if it ever does.

We recognize that protecting health means both reducing the impact of COVID-19 but also reducing the long-term health impacts of the pollution that comes from the production and use of single-use plastics. 

Thanks to our partners Eco-Cycle, Colorado Sierra Club, Conservation Colorado, Environment Colorado, Inland Ocean Coalition, and CASE (Citizens Alliance for a Sustainable Englewood) for joining us on this letter to the Governor. 

Authors

Danny Katz

Executive Director, CoPIRG

Danny has been the director of CoPIRG for over a decade. Danny co-authored a groundbreaking report on the state’s transit, walking and biking needs and is a co-author of the annual “State of Recycling” report. He also helped write a 2016 Denver initiative to create a public matching campaign finance program and led the early effort to eliminate predatory payday loans in Colorado. Danny serves on the Colorado Department of Transportation's (CDOT) Efficiency and Accountability Committee, CDOT's Transit and Rail Advisory Committee, RTD's Reimagine Advisory Committee, the Denver Moves Everyone Think Tank, and the I-70 Collaborative Effort. Danny lobbies federal, state and local elected officials on transportation electrification, multimodal transportation, zero waste, consumer protection and public health issues. He appears frequently in local media outlets and is active in a number of coalitions. He resides in Denver with his family, where he enjoys biking and skiing, the neighborhood food scene and raising chickens.