YOUR AD HERE »

Letter to the editor: Frisco bag ban will have unintended consequences

Michael Rath
Keystone

As a regular patron of businesses within the town of Frisco, the proposed ordinance to tax the distribution of single-use bags is not a good idea. For the minimal environmental impact such a law would provide, there is the potential for significant economic consequences. While supporters of such laws declare that plastic bags pollute waterways, in reality plastic bags are an inexpensive, sanitary, typically American-made product shopkeepers can provide to customers complimentary to transport their purchases. They later can be reused for hundreds of uses — which, without being available, will require consumers to find alternatives that require greater resources — as well as be recycled. Many businesses that offer plastic bags to their customers have receptacles in their store for recycling unneeded bags.

I would invite you to go online to search on more information regarding the unintended consequences of bag bans. As many neighboring communities have already passed restrictions on the distribution of bags, Frisco, more of a gateway community, rather than a vacation destination, needs to provide Summit County locals and visitors a choice.

In addition, an informal observation of customers walking out of grocery stores in the county indicates how popular having single-use bags available in store is. I suggest that the town of Frisco keep the current options, where those who feel single-use bags are detrimental to the environment can use an alternative method of transporting their purchases, while those who want to have the option to use single-use bags can do so in a responsible manner without being taxed.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.

Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.

Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.