Aug 23 - Aspen City Council Votes in Favor of Bag Ordinance
After educational efforts failed to reduce single-use bag waste, the City of Aspen, CO has voted in favor of single-use bag ordinance. Similar to the DC ordinance enacted last year, it places a charge on each plastic or paper bag used. But while DC's bag charge is five cents
per bag, Aspen's ordinance will be requiring a 20 cent charge per bag at its grocery stores.
DC's ordinance showed an immediate decrease in bag usage, from 22.5 million a month to just 3 million a month. It's expected that a higher charge such as one proposed in Aspen will lead to an even greater reduction of usage.
The Aspen City Council passed the ordinance 4-1 at its first reading,and will vote to adopt the ordinance on September 12. Read more about the ordinance in the Aspen Daily News.