Town of Telluride: Ecology Commission to Host Forum on Plastics Reduction Ordinance, Forums, 3/24 & 3/25!

21 Mar Town of Telluride: Ecology Commission to Host Forum on Plastics Reduction Ordinance, Forums, 3/24 & 3/25!

Town of Telluride announces ecology commission to host forum on plastics reduction ordinance.

Prohibition and ban on the use and sale of certain plastic materials or products ordinance goes into effect July 1, 2024.

To learn more, please visit bit.ly/totplastics to register for the meeting, join via Zoom, and review the ordinance, plastic alternatives, and next steps for ordinance enforcement in the coming months.

Go here for more about the Town of Telluride.

In November 2022, the Town of Telluride adopted the Prohibition and Ban on the Use and Sale of Certain Plastic Materials or Products Ordinance to further discourage the use of single-use plastics, including polystyrene products, known commonly as Styrofoam®. That aligns with the Town’s Climate Action Plan and the State of Colorado’s HB 21-1162.

While Telluride has prohibited disposable plastic bags since 2011 by the passing of the Prohibition of Disposable Plastic Bags and Mandating Certain Standards and a Fee for the Use of Permitted Bags Ordinance, the Town felt further measures were needed to slow the impacts from single-use plastics, including the release of greenhouse gas emissions, litter in the environment, harm to wildlife, water consumption and solid waste generation.

While Section 78-8-100 has been in effect since November 2022, many of this ordinance’s provisions will go into effect on July 1, 2024.

The ordinance prohibits:

a. Plastic food containers – Prepared food cannot be served on or in any container that contains plastics, including but not limited to plates, cups, bowls, trays, cartons, and hinged or lidded containers of any kind. This includes polystyrene products (Styrofoam®).
b. Plastic beverage straws
c. Single-use plastic water bottles –any single-use plastic container of less than one (1) gallon
containing drinking water.
d. Plastic cutlery
e. Toothpicks wrapped in plastics
f. Cotton swabs made with plastics
g. Any single-use condiment packages served in plastic, such as, but not limited to, ketchup,
mustard, mayonnaise, aioli, wasabi, soy sauce, sriracha, salsa, tartar sauce, or any salad dressing
favor of any kind.
h. Plastic garnish spears or plastic stirrers of any kind.

The Town of Telluride’s Ecology Commission is hosting two forums to discuss the upcoming plastics ban and answer questions from the public. The hybrid meetings will occur at the Wilkinson Public Library Program Room on Sunday, March 24, from 4 to 5 pm and Monday, March 25, from 10 to 11 am, with an option to join either via Zoom.