DENVER (KDVR) — Representatives in Colorado’s House Appropriations Committee will look at a proposal on Tuesday to phase out some single use plastic.
“This is really a labor of love for many representatives who have been working on this issue for a number of years trying to find ways to reduce the amount of plastic pollution that Coloradans are contributing to landfills,” State Rep. Alex Valdez (D – Denver) said.
Under the proposal, single use plastic bags and certain types of Styrofoam would be phased out at certain businesses and establishments, like restaurants and grocery stores.
The bill would also repeal a law that prevents local governments from banning certain types of plastics.
“We’ve heard a lot about how business has been impacted by COVID and that’s absolutely true, so we’ve really worked with the stakeholder groups to make sure that this bill is something that they can acclimate to and we’re giving plenty of time for them to do so,” Valdez said.
The bill would implement at 10 cent fee for use of a recycled paper bag in place of a single-use plastic bag.
According to the proposal, 60% of fees collected would go to local or county governments to help with recycling programs; businesses could keep the remaining 40%.