DENVER — Each day, Coloradans end up throwing away more than five pounds of waste. The hope is that outlawing Styrofoam takeout containers and plastic bags in the new year will help.
"When it comes to recycling, our recycling rate is pretty trashy," said Danny Katz, executive director of Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG).
In January 2024, the state will need to welcome a more sustainable option.
Starting on Jan. 1, Colorado restaurants will no longer be able to use Styrofoam containers or cups.
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Like any law, there are exemptions including if the takeout container was already in the retail food establishment inventory prior to the new year.
“We knew this transition was coming. At some point, it was not sustainable for us to continue carrying Styrofoam across the board,” said Chook Chicken CEO Elizabeth Nicholson.
With nearly three-quarter of their orders placed for pickup, Chook Chicken is one Denver spot ahead of the curve.
“We are a Certified B corporation, which really at the root of it just means that we value people and planet as much as we value profit,” Nicholson said.
The restaurant has rolled out DeliverZero, a container that costs those visiting the restaurant 99 cents. Customers can return it and it can be reused up to 1,000 times.
They say it is more environmentally friendly than compostable and what Nicholson believes more restaurants need to move to, especially in light of a new report released by Eco-cycle and CoPIRG, which showed the stark reality of recycling rates in the state.
The report found 84% of the waste we produce goes right into landfills.
“That’s one of the worst [rates] in the country,” Katz said.
But the environmentally friendly changes are coming.
“We need to make those incremental changes so that we're not doing more harm than good,” Nicholson said.
