Single-use bag fee



Plastic and paper bag fees begin in 2023

Effective January 1, 2023 the State of Colorado has mandated that most major retail businesses are required to charge a 10 cent bag fee for each single-use plastic and paper bag used at checkout.

What businesses are included in the single-use bag fee?

  • · Grocery stores and supermarkets
  • · Major retailers
  • · Major convenience stores
  • · Clothing stores
  • · Hardware stores
  • · Other stores that are a franchise or a chain located outside of Colorado
  • · Other major stores that include self-checkout and delivery services
  • · Major liquor stores

Exemptions from the single-use bag fee

  • · Customers that provide evidence to the store that they are a participant in a federal or state food assistance program
  • · Farmers markets
  • · Laundry or dry cleaning services
  • · Bulk stores
  • · Smaller businesses with three or fewer locations
  • · Pharmacies
  • · Bags used by consumers inside the store for items like produce, bulk items, candy, small hardware items, meat, bakery or floral items
  • · Restaurants are exempt from the single-use bag fee however they will be prohibited from distributing polystyrene foam containers beginning in 2024

Where will the bag fee money go?

  • · Businesses retain 40% of the fee to cover the cost of administration and compliance
  • · Evans receives 60% of the fee which will be deposited into the City’s Refuse Collection Fund, and used to offset expenses incurred to provide trash collection and recycling services to the residents of Evans
  • · The single-use bag fee is not a tax
  • · The 10-cent bag fee is not subject to Colorado or City of Evans sales tax For more information on this mandate please reference the Colorado HB21-1162 or the Colorado Department of Revenue. For additional resources, you can reference the business guide put together by Eco-cycle.

For more information on this mandate please reference the Colorado HB21-1162 or the Colorado Department of Revenue. For additional resources, you can reference the business guide put together by Eco-cycle.