In 2023, Colorado used almost 1.8 billion fewer plastic bags.
That’s according to an estimate by Eco-Cycle, a nonprofit recycling center that focuses on zero waste. The organization was one of the supporters of the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, a Colorado law that was part of House Bill 21-1162. The law phases out the use of single-use plastic bags. Last year, the law charged a 10-cent fee for every plastic or paper bag a customer carried out of a store to encourage the use of reusable bags. Since 2021, Denver alone has collected $5 million from their plastic bag fee. They’ve used some of that money to buy 58,000 reusable bags for community groups to distribute and educate people on the impact of single-use waste.
Single Use Bags