Minor Inconvenience Will Wean Us Off Plastic Bags

Banning plastic grocery bags or charging a small fee for them is a simple step toward a more sustainable reality in Northern Colorado. This inconvenience will be an afterthought in a short period of time. If it is a fee on the bags, that will serve as 'training'. The extra .$50 to $1.00 on the bill, after a few trips to the store, is going to jog our memories to buy some bags, bring them from home, or, in my case, bring them in from the car. I often forget them, and have taken to leaving my shopping cart near the door as I walk back out to get them. That minor inconvenience of having to walk back out to the car has been the teacher in my case.

In six months to a year's time I predict that this will be a non-issue for most people. While ingrained habits like this at first seem very difficult to change, with practice, the new way becomes ingrained. In ten years, I am confident we'll look back and appreciate the fact that we all did a little bit in order to improve the area in which we are all so lucky to live.

The City of Fort Collins is weighing options on how to handle plastic grocery bags. Boulder is now charging a ten cent per bag fee in order to have people cut down on the amount of plastic bags they use. Fort Collins is considering a few different options.

They have heard from the public. An outside company has produced a triple bottom line evaluation of the ideas. View the full evaluation here.

Next on the agenda is the November 27 City Council meeting, where more on this matter will be considered and perhaps decided.