Written By Betty Abate
The Disposable Bag Ordinance that passed in February of 2021 has now been implemented as of May 1st.
This ordinance bans plastic bags from grocery stores and puts a 10-cent fee on each paper bag a shopper wants or needs. If a shopper has a reusable bag, they are more than welcome to use their own at no extra charge.
On a gloomy Tuesday evening, I talked to shoppers at a King Soopers to ask for their take on the new regulation.
I interviewed 12 people and most of them knew about the ordinance before it took place but those who didn’t know, didn’t care.
“One concern would be how sustainable the alternatives are,” says a sustainability major who studied at CSU.
She wanted to know whether the paper bags are recyclable, she goes on to say “but anything is better than plastic.”
One shopper was against the entirety of sustainability as a whole, he stated that the “Green New Deal shit needs to end.”
He also believes that the tax is being put on people who can’t afford it.
A handful of people I talked to were already using their own bags before the ordinance took place.
“I was already kind of using reusable bags, so it didn’t really affect me very much,” one guy mentions.
He also stated that he really liked the change and supports environmentalism.
One guy had already been introduced to the no bag policy and was used to bringing his own bags from home.
“I come from California, and California passed this ordinance eight years ago or so… I was already kind of used to it, so I like to bring my own bags.”
When I asked people whether they had any concerns, most of them just shook their heads.
“I think that if anything there should be more, just because plastic is bad.” Says another student from CSU.
Another guy I talked to didn’t mind at all, professing, “Nah, I’m a socialist.”
Currently plastic bags are still allowed for use at commercial sites such as fast food restaurants and non grocery retailers, with no plan to change this in the future currently.
Moving forward the 10 cent fee will be split 40-60 between grocers and the City of Fort Collins.