(La Junta, CO) -- Ahead of the Colorado legislation which goes into effect in January, Clean Valley Recycling has a plan. In January, stores will no longer be able to provide customers with plastic bags for groceries and goods without charging a fee for bag. Clean Valley Recycling's Dee Hostetler says they could partner with La Junta to provide the community with reusable bags. She explains this could be funded through the money collected from the bag fees that will go to the municipalities.
"So that six cents per bag will come to you, but there are some restrictions on how you could spend that money, it needs to be spent on recycling things or reusable like you could do make reusable bags, you could pay for administrative costs for recycling, recycling education."
La Junta Mayor Joe Ayala asked city attorney Phil Malouff if that was indeed true. Malouff replied, "yes."
The costs per bag that the cities will be able to keep will be 60 percent of fees collected. According to the fiscal note on the bill, people receiving public assistance will not have to pay the 10 cents per bag fee.
While the 10 cent per bag fee will go into effect in January of 2023, by January of 2024, plastic bags will be outlawed altogether in Colorado. In 2024, you will still be able to get paper bags at a fee per bag. Small businesses would be exempt from the law.
City Council told the recycling agency that they would consider the partnership and would get back to them on what they decide.
Clean Valley Recycling is proposing that the bags they would be able to make feature marketing of attractions in the La Junta area.
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