DENVER — The Denver City Council has given its approval to a plan to charge retail customers a small fee for every disposable paper or plastic bag they use for their purchase.
The council unanimously signed off on the measure during a second vote on Monday night. The first vote on Dec. 16 was also unanimous.
The ordinance now goes to Mayor Michael Hancock, who is expected to sign it.
The idea behind the 10-cent fee is to reduce the number of single-use bags in landfills, particularly plastic bags, and to encourage people to bring their own bags to the store.
Stores will get to keep $.04 from every $.10 charged, while the city will take the other $.06. Denver plans to spend some of the money it collects to distribute free bags to people.
Several other Colorado cities already have such ordinances in place. Boulder, for example, has been charging a fee for single-use bags since 2012.
Denver's bag fee ordinance will take effect in July of 2020.
