
In August 2019, a .25 per bag fee ordinance on both paper and plastic disposable bags was passed by the Frisco Town Council, recognizing that the use of all disposable shopping bags, both plastic and paper, has significant environmental impacts on a local and global scale, including impacts greenhouse gas emissions, litter, harm to wildlife, water consumption and solid waste generation. Despite recycling and voluntary efforts to control pollution from disposable bags, relatively few disposable bags are recycled. Plastic bags last for decades in landfill, or end up as litter.
The disposable bag fee program began January 1, 2020, and was suspended on March 31, 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. On Tuesday, July 28, 2020, Town Council decided to let the suspension expire, as the community is no longer under a local State of Emergency and Council has found no evidence that bringing reusable bags increases the likelihood of spreading COVID-19.
On January 26, 2021, Council passed, Ordinance 21-01, which will ban disposable plastic bags and paper bags with less than 40 percent post-consumer recycled material, and continue a single-use bag fee of $.25 for paper bags only, which contain more than 40 percent post-consumer recycled material. Restaurants will now be included in this program, which is a departure from the original bag fee program passed in 2019, but will still be exempt from charging and remitting the $0.25 bag fee.
In spite of the bag fee program, implemented January 1, 2020, to discourage the use of disposable bags and reduce waste, many disposable single-use bags are still being used and end up in landfills, litter the environment, use precious resources, impede drainage systems, and impact wildlife.
A ban on single-use plastic bags and paper bags with less than 40 percent post-consumer recycled material will address environmental concerns, while still allowing businesses to offer their customers single-use paper bags with over 40 percent post-consumer recycled material that are recyclable and more biodegradable than plastic bags. To stay consistent with the Towns of Breckenridge and Dillon and to allow businesses to plan for this change and to use current bag inventories, the new ordinance will not go into effect until September 1, 2021.
Please complete the appropriate remittance worksheet below:
Fees should be remitted on a quarterly basis. The following methods are available for remittance: