DENVER — After a brief but mostly supportive public comment session, the Denver City Council unanimously approved a measure Monday night which would require retail stores to charge customers 10 cents for each single-use plastic or paper bag they use.
The vote is the first of two required for proposed laws and the council will take a second vote next week before passing the measure to a supportive Mayor Michael Hancock.
If enacted, the fees would come into effect in July and band Denver with at least 13 other cities in Colorado with similar fees or bans in the hopes of encouraging consumers to rely on reusable bags and containers, diminishing their environmental footprint.
The fees aim to replicate the successes enjoyed by other cities across the country.
“In Denver alone, about 200 million bags are used each year and that’s just in Denver,” said Councilwoman Kendra Black, one of the measure’s co-sponsors. “But based on what we’ve learned from other cities, we expect that will decline by 70%.”
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