DENVER — Your next shopping trip may cost you a little bit more in Denver beginning Thursday. The city is launching the Bring Your Own Bag program, which will cost shoppers 10-cents per disposable bag.
The city says the program is an effort to reduce waste and encourage more sustainable practices. To avoid the mandatory fee, shoppers must bring their own bags.
Disposable bags provided at checkout, self-checkout, curbside pickup and delivery by retail outlets selling personal consumer goods or household items, liquor stores, retail chain stores and groceries are all subject to the 10-cent per bag fee.
Some exemptions include newspaper bags, bags from pharmacies, and bags smaller than 7x9 inches. In addition, customers who are participating in a federal or state food assistance program will not be charged the fee.
City council passed the ordinance in 2019 and it was set to go in effect on July 1, 2020. However, the city postponed the ordinance for one year due to the pandemic.
Stores will get to keep 4 cents from every 10 cents charged, while the city will take the other 6 cents. Denver plans to spend some of the money it collects to distribute free bags to people.
Several other Colorado cities already have such ordinances in place. Boulder, for example, has been charging a fee for single-use bags since 2012.
Click here for FAQs on Denver's disposable bag fee.