Denver Considering Banning Plastic Bags. Is Grand Junction Next?

The Denver City Council is debating a plastic bag ban.

Did you know that about 350 cities across the country have either banned or charge fees on plastic bag use? California and Hawaii have outlawed plastic bags statewide. In Colorado, several cities have banned or have fees in place on plastic bags. In 2012 Boulder implemented a 10-cent fee on plastic bags. Crested Butte banned plastic bags all together in 2016. They also require paper sacks to be made from 40% percent recycled material and be 100% recyclable. Aspen has banned plastic bags too. Back in 2011, Aspen passed a 20-cent fee for paper bags too. I shared a story a few months back about Kroger stores, which include City Markets, and their plan to phase out the use of plastic bags in their stores by 2025. Read more about that HERE.

No question plastic bags are going the way of the dinosaur. They are a litter problem. In my book, there aren't many things worse than a plastic sack hanging from a tree limb twisting in the wind. I take that back, the thing worse is one floating in my favorite fishing hole. They're handy though. I usually make a couple trips to the store a week only grabbing a few things at a time. That plastic sack is quick and convenient.

This isn’t Denver's first attempt to curb plastic bags. Back in 2014, the City Council considered a fee, which nearly became law but lost out in the end. Now with other Colorado cities banning bags does Denver have the votes to ban their use? If they go ahead with the idea will other cities follow suit? Would the Grand Junction City Council consider banning plastic bags? Should they?

Credit: 9News