Denver fee on plastic and paper grocery bags goes into effect July 1

New ordinance will reduce use of disposable single-use plastic bags that pollute our communities for hundreds of years

CoPIRG

DENVER — Tomorrow, Denver’s ten-cent fee on plastic bags will go into effect, an important step to reducing single-use plastic waste in the community. A ten-cent fee will also be assessed on single-use paper bags to discourage unnecessary disposable products. Single-use plastic bags are particularly harmful, often being used for a few minutes but polluting our waterways and parks for centuries. A fee is one of the few tools Colorado cities have to combat plastic pollution because current Colorado law prohibits cities like Denver from banning single-use plastic. 

The recently passed HB21-1162 would repeal that prohibition starting in 2024. Governor Polis is expected to sign the bill in the next week.

“We are excited to see Denver’s fee on plastic and paper bags take effect,” said CoPIRG Advocate Allison Conwell. “With millions of new single-use items pouring into our state every day, it’s crucial that we continue taking steps to reduce our dependence on these unnecessarily wasteful items. Nothing we use once, should pollute our planets for years to come.”

With Coloradans going through an estimated 4.6 million single-use plastic bags a day in our state, CoPIRG has urged governments at every level to take action to reduce plastic pollution. Denver’s bag fee is a zero-waste measure that other cities can and should implement to curb unnecessary single-use waste. 

CoPIRG offers a few reusable bag tips for Denver residents.

1. Check out Denver’s Bring Your Own Bag Program for reusable bag giveaway events.
2. Put bags in the trunk of your car, in your backpack or bike bag or near your front door so that you can see them on your way to the grocery store or have them when you arrive.
3. Include the number of bags you will need at the top of your shopping list. 
4. Wash them. Toss your reusable bags in the washer (if they’re made of a washer-friendly fabric). This is especially true if you spill something on them or your groceries leak in them.