Follow Up On Aspen’s Efforts to Use Reusable Shopping Bags

As a follow up to the post, “A Little Place Called Aspen“, Aspen City Council voted in favor of a plastic bag ban with a .20 fee on paper bags at two local grocers, City Market and Clark’s Market.  The new law is to go into effect on May 1, 2012.

Although the paper bag fee of .20 may not go over well  with customers of City Market or Clark’s Market, the fees are expected to generate between $33,000 and $170,000 in revenue, depending on how many people end up buying them. City Market and Clark’s Market will keep up to $1,000 a month to cover the costs of implementing the ban and fee program, or 25 percent of the fees collected.  The money will be used to purchase and give away reusable bags and create an educational campaign.

Along with the ban, a community campaign is in discussions to help locals and tourists get use to the ban and encourage the use of reusable grocery bags.  The idea is to create a campaign similar to the 1970’s campaign the federal government put out of the crying Native American.

The Basalt Town Council passed a .20 fee on paper and plastic bags, which will go into effect on May 1 as well.  Basalt city officials indicated they would consider an outright ban since Aspen’s ban was successful. Carbondale, Snowmass Village and Glenwood Springs also are considering moving towards reusable shopping bags.

For more on this story, go to Aspen Daily News Online.