Aurora retailers charge a 10-cent fee per disposable plastic or paper bag and may not provide single-use plastic carryout bags as of January 2024 under Colorado HB21-1162 statewide preemption.
Colorado HB21-1162, the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act, took full effect January 1, 2024. Aurora retailers must charge a 10-cent fee on every disposable plastic or paper carryout bag and are prohibited from providing thin-film single-use plastic bags. Sixty percent of the fee goes to the city for waste reduction programs and 40 percent stays with the retailer for compliance costs. Restaurants are exempt for takeout, and small stores under three locations are partially exempt. The law also bans expanded polystyrene foam containers from prepared-food retailers. Customers using SNAP or WIC are exempt from the fee.
Retailers providing prohibited plastic bags face fines starting at 500 dollars per offense, escalating to 1,000 dollars for repeat violations, plus loss of the 40 percent retailer fee retention.
See how Aurora's plastic bag rules rules stack up against other locations.
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