Colorado House advances bill to ban plastic bags, take-out foam

Coloradans hoping to keep plastic pollution away from wildlife and wild places may soon have reason to cheer.

On May 5, the Colorado House passed a plastic pollution reduction bill that would phase out the use of single-use plastic bags and polystyrene foam in food and retail establishments. Environment Colorado helped garner support for the bill, contributing to the more than 21,000 petition signatures submitted in its support and hosting a Plastic Pollution Youth Lobby Day months before the vote.

“Protecting our climate, health, water and air are all good reasons to phase out unnecessary and harmful plastics,” said Hannah Collazo, state director of Environment Colorado. “Coloradans value our beautiful wild places, and using something for five minutes when it will pollute our planet for hundreds of years is antithetical to stewardship and conservation.”

The state Senate considers the plastic reduction bill next. 

Read more about the bill.

Learn more about our Wildlife Over Waste campaign.