The voter-approved disposable bag tax has been in effect since January 1,2022. Residents should still anticipate paying $0.25 per disposable bag used at retailers, however residents can bring their own bag and never pay the tax.

The City has been providing free reusable bags to those who have been impacted by the Marshall Fire at the Disaster Assistance Fire, programming and services provided at the Recreation Center, through local businesses and donation sites, and at City Hall.

In 2020, Louisville voters approved Ballot Question 2A, which aims to reduce single-use bag consumption within the community by applying a $0.25 tax on every paper and plastic bag provided to the customer by a Louisville retailer.

Beginning January 1, 2022, all retail stores in Louisville are required to charge $0.25 for every plastic or paper bag used at checkout. Retailers will retain $0.10 of each disposable bag tax collected as a vendor’s fee to be used for administration of the tax, such as training staff, improving or altering infrastructure for administration of the tax, and improving infrastructure to increase bag recycling. The remaining $0.15 of each disposable bag tax collected will be remitted to the City and shall be used for costs related to administration of the tax or other sustainability-related initiatives and programs. 

In 2016 the City adopted the Sustainability Action Plan (SAP), which establishes Louisville’s vision to “create a more sustainable community, as well as provide a roadmap for achieving these collective goals”. The SAP consists of five key impact areas of sustainability, including climate and energy, water, transportation, waste and local food and agriculture. Under waste, the City identifies several strategies aimed at “achieving zero waste and managing resources responsibly and effectively”. One such strategy is “promoting recyclable substitutes/replacements for single-use, throw-away items, such as plastic bags”.

The estimated total of single-use bags distributed in Louisville is approximately 4.5 million bags or 25 tons per year. A tax on single use bags helps to reduce this number and further the City’s sustainability goals.

Voters approved a disposable bag tax that imposes a $0.25 tax on ALL retailers within the City of Louisville where a disposable bag is given at checkout or point-of-sale. This is different than Boulder's fee, which is only on grocery stores. This includes: fast food restaurants, personal services, all retail stores, grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, delivery and takeout services, and farmers market vendors. 

Retailers keep $0.10 of each $0.25 charged per disposable bag to assist with administrative costs, employee and customer education and trainings, waste diversion efforts, and transitioning operations away from disposable bag use. 

A disposable bag means a bag that is not reusable. The bag tax is only on disposable plastic and paper bags distributed to customers. This does not include reusable bags that may be provided by the store or any bag brought in by the customer to be used.

Disposable bag does not include:

1. Bags used by consumers inside stores to:

(a) Package bulk items, such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains, candy, or small hardware items;

(b) Contain or wrap frozen foods, meat, or fish;

(c) Contain or wrap flowers, potted plants, or other items where dampness may be a problem;

(d) Contain unwrapped prepared foods or bakery goods; or

(e) A non-handled bag used to protect a purchased item from damaging or contaminating other purchased items when placed in a recyclable paper bag or reusable bag.

2. Bags provided by pharmacists to contain prescription drugs.

3. Newspaper bags, door-hanger bags, laundry-dry cleaning bags, or bags sold in packages containing multiple bags for uses such a food storage, garbage, pet waste, or yard waste bags.

Plastic bags are very difficult to recycle due to the limited aftermarkets for the material. They cannot be recycled in Louisville’s single stream curbside program, and cause a lot of problems when residents put their recyclables in them. They clog the machinery that sort our recyclables, resulting in equipment shut-downs so that they can be cut out by hand. Although paper bags are compostable and recyclable, the manufacturing of paper bags has a large impact. Manufacturing of paper bags uses a tremendous amount of resources. For these reasons and more, paper bags are not an environmentally positive alternative.

There is no exemption for delivery, pick up, and takeout services within the ordinance, and each disposable bag used will come with a $0.25 tax. This includes fast food, grocery delivery/pickup, etc. This will not impact businesses or services that provide delivery or pickup in boxes or an alternative method that does not use bags. 

Out of the $0.25 charged per bag, the store/retailer retains $0.10 per bag to support administration of the tax, education, and any process changes that a store/retailer may undertake to limit disposable bag use. This may include the transition of delivery and takeout services to an alternative method that won't trigger the disposable bag tax. 

Yes. The disposable bag tax does not apply to participants in a federal or state food assistance program (i.e. SNAP). A food assistance affidavit in both English and Spanish will be provided and made available to all retailers to document this exemption.  An affidavit will need to be completed by the customer for every purchase made at retailers who do not have an automated system to process federal or state food assistance program purchases.

Yes! Boulder, Aspen, Telluride, Breckenridge, Denver, Fort Collins and Basalt also have ordinances in place to reduce the use of disposable bags.

The bag tax went into effect January 1, 2022.