Colorado’s proposed ban on plastic bags and foam containers could actually do more harm to the environment than good

Colorado House Bill 1162 is a “misguided bill” that would forbid restaurants and stores from offering foam takeout containers or plastic bags. The legislation would also tax paper bags and enable local governments to ban or further tax otherwise legal plastic food containers. However, alternatives to plastic products aren’t always as “green” as you may think. For example, a Danish study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 50 times to be worth the environmental costs to grow the cotton and the chemicals used to manufacture the bag.

Read the full opinion column on the Denver Post.