Dec. 19—Boulder will start charging a fee to customers who use disposable checkout bags on Jan. 1. And thanks to Colorado’s Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, plastic checkout bags at large stores and polystyrene (Styrofoam) cups and food containers at retail food establishments will be banned on the same date.

Grocery stores, liquor stores, pharmacies and other retailers will be required to charge customers a $0.10 fee per disposable checkout bag used. Restaurants and other retail food establishments are exempt from the bag fees and the upcoming plastic bag ban.

“These changes will help move Boulder toward its vision of a more circular local economy,” Jamie Harkins, Boulder’s sustainability senior manager of circular economies, stated in a news release. “Every single-use bag and container prevented means less waste in the landfill and less burden on our planet. Bringing a reusable tote, declining a bag at checkout, using a takeout container from home or opting for a service like DeliverZero are simple ways to take action toward circularity.”

To avoid paying bag fees, shoppers can bring reusable bags to the store or ask for no bag when purchasing items. Reusable bags can be bought at many grocery, clothing and thrift stores.

More information about Boulder’s bag fees can be found at bouldercolorado.gov/services/disposable-bag-fee.