Boulder County Still Discussing Plastic Bag Ban

As a follow up to our post, Colorado Supporting Reusable Shopping Bags, it appears that Boulder is now considering a fee for plastic bags rather than an all out ban at this time.  An all out ban is not out of the question, however, and discussions are continuing.  The bag ban in Roaring Fork County has paved the way for other Colorado communities to brave the waters of  passing a ban.

Organizations in Boulder County, such as New Era Colorado and Earth Guardians, would still like to see the all-out ban take place to effectively reduce plastic waste throughout Boulder County.  Taxing the plastic bags will help pay for clean up costs but it does not solve the problem.  Only stopping the consumption will ultimately lead to less bags in our landfills.

On May 19th, 2011, Earth Guardians sponsored a demonstration at the Sunflower Market off of Arapahoe and Folsom to bring attention to the issues plastic bags create for the environment.  The demonstration was to spark interest in the community about the harms plastic does to our planet and offered solutions such as using reusable grocery bags.  This demonstration no doubt helped influence community members who were present for the October 2011 City Council Meeting to discuss the possible bag ban.

Boulder City Council meetings are generally held the first and third Tuesdays of each month beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, second floor, Municipal Building, 1777 Broadway, at the southwest corner of Broadway and Canyon. Residents have the opportunity to speak to the Council to express their opinions about  City issues.  For more information about the rules in place for attending a city council meeting, please go to the City of Boulder Colorado web page.