Colorado HB21-1162 limits single-use plastic straws to customer request only at retail food establishments. Denver follows the state rule; servers may not automatically provide a plastic straw, and self-service straw stations are barred.
Colorado House Bill 21-1162 made Colorado a straws-on-request state effective January 1, 2024. Retail food establishments, including Denver restaurants, fast-food outlets, coffee shops, food trucks, and beverage retailers, cannot place single-use plastic straws or stirrers at self-service drink stations or automatically include them with drink orders. Staff may hand a straw to a customer who specifically asks. Drive-thru and delivery orders are covered. Persons with disabilities must be accommodated without burden under ADA, and compostable or paper alternatives are encouraged. Denver DDPHE and city sustainability office support compliance. Denver's broader climate plan reinforces single-use waste reduction, and city facilities use only certified compostable straws.
Auto-distributing plastic straws or stirrers at a Denver food establishment violates HB21-1162 with civil fines of five hundred dollars for a second offense and one thousand dollars per subsequent offense, escalating with repeat infractions.
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See how Denver's plastic straw rules rules stack up against other locations.
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