Bag Fee
Plastic Pollution Reduction Act (HB21-1162)
Under a bill passed by the Colorado State Legislature in 2021 (HB21-1162), the State placed a 10-cent fee on all single-use disposable bags supplied by retailers to customers (plastic and paper bags) starting January 1, 2023. The bill bans single-use plastic bags and polystyrene to-go food containers starting January 1, 2024. There are exceptions, please see the outline below of the Fee on Disposable Bags.
A store is now required to remit, on a quarterly basis, 60% of the carryout bag fee revenues to the municipality or county within which the store is located and may retain the remaining 40% of the carryout bag fee revenues.
The carryout bag fee does not apply to a customer that provides evidence to the store that the customer is a participant in a federal or state food assistance program.
How to Pay the Carryout Bag Fees?
Please remit to City of Salida the portion of your quarterly carryout bag fee via check to 448 E 1st Street, Suite 112, Salida, CO 81201. In the memo line of the check, please enter 'Bag Fee' and the corresponding quarter, for example: "Bag Fee 1st Quarter 2023".
At this time, electronic remittance of this fee is unavailable. This webpage will be updated with further information if that option becomes available.
See the table below to determine whether your store will need to comply with the bag fees.
FEE ON DISPOSABLE PLASTIC AND PAPER BAGS (Effective Jan. 1, 2023)
|
Covered under the ban and bag fee |
Exemptions from the ban and bag fee |
|---|---|
|
• Major* grocery stores and supermarkets • Major convenience stores • Major liquor stores • Pharmacies and drug stores • Major retailers • Other major stores or retail food establishments providing single use plastic carryout bags • Major Temporary Vendors
*those with more than three locations or with locations outside Colorado |
• Smaller** stores • Restaurants • Farmers and roadside markets • Bags for loose, bulk items including hardware, bolts, screws, nuts, fruits, vegetables, grains, candy, greeting cards, seed, livestock feed, or pet feed • Bags for dry cleaning, laundry, or garments, prescription medication, frozen food, meat, seafood, plants, flowers and other items that could otherwise contaminate other items • Bags for unwrapped food or bakery goods such as those used by restaurants for take-home or to-go food • Bags for small pets like fish, crustaceans, mollusks and insects
**those with three or fewer locations operating solely in Colorado |
POLYSTYRENE (STYROFOAM) (Effective Jan. 1, 2024)
|
Covered under the ban |
Exemptions from the ban |
|---|---|
|
• Restaurants • Major grocery stores and supermarkets • Major convenience stores • Other major retail food establishments providing expanded polystyrene containers • Cafeterias in schools, prisons, and businesses |
• Farmers and roadside markets • Stores whose primary sales revenue does not come from food products |
