Boulder strengthens rules against plastic bags – but do bans and fines actually reduce waste?
- Written by Eleanor Putnam-Farr, Assistant Professor of Marketing, Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University
Boulder, Colorado, passed stricter regulationsagainst plastic bags at the beginning of 2024, banning them from all retail stores. The tougher rule builds on a 2013 local law that banned plastic bags from grocery stores and began charging shoppers 10 cents for every paper bag they required at checkout. The new law, part of the state’s Plastic...

