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Fort Collins Joins List Of Cities Considering Plastic Bag Ban

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) - Fort Collins is now on the growing list of Colorado cities considering banning plastic bags.

Aspen, Basalt, Carbondale, and Telluride have all either banned plastic bags or are charging fees for them. Boulder is getting ready to take a final vote on their bag fee on Thursday.

If the ordinance in Fort Collins was to pass, plastic grocery bags would either be banned or there would be a fee. It would apply to all grocery stores. City Council will vote on the ordinance on Nov. 27.

The city's senior environmental planner Susie Gordon has been tasked with gathering the public's opinion before the meeting.

"It's a mix of reactions. I think for some people it just is a no-brainer, you know everybody loves to hate plastic bags, especially. But for others they think it's maybe a little bit too heavy-handed," Gordon said.

Gordon says only a small percentage of plastic bags get recycled and end up in landfills. She says it's a small step in helping the city go green.

"It's a matter to try and demonstrate that this is a community that really does have a commitment that it's willing to exemplify for sustainability," Gordon said.

"Whatever it ends up being, we'll figure out a way to deal with it," Bryan Beavers with Beavers Market said.

Beavers said his family's long-time grocery store in Fort Collins supports the ban and believes their customers will as well.

"I think most people would be in favor of it," he said.

The majority of his customers are already plastic-free. About 1/3rd of his customers are already using reusable bags.

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