If you frequently shop at Telluride’s restaurants and stores, you may notice something missing: single-use plastic.
“The main changes are related to food service and things related to food service. But it’s not just that,” said Darin Graber, sustainability and grants administrator for the City of Telluride. “It also affects some things you might not expect. Toothpicks cannot be wrapped in single-use plastic, and cotton swabs with plastic handles are prohibited under this ordinance.”
In 2022, the Telluride City Council passed an ordinance banning single-use plastics in the city, set to take effect on July 1, 2024.
Under the order, single-use plastic containers, including Styrofoam cups, bowls and plates, are banned. Plastic straws, cutlery, condiment bags, stirrers and garnish skewers are also prohibited. In addition, single-use plastic water bottles of less than one gallon are not allowed. The order also requires customers in restaurants and stores to request cutlery or napkins instead of automatically receiving them.
Exceptions to the regulation apply to firefighters, emergency services and police when single-use plastic is needed in an emergency situation or during a city-wide emergency or natural disaster. Single-use plastic is also allowed for medical purposes.
Single-use plastics may still be found in grocery stores in pre-packaged items from major retailers or when food safety concerns arise.
“So it’s clear we’re going to have milk cartons or plastic bottles of milk. What we need to change is the products we sell over the counter. If I have a raw ingredient in my hand and I need to put it in something to give to a customer, that container needs to be compostable,” said Chris Jackman, store manager at Clark’s Market in Telluride.
Jackson says there have been a number of changes at the store since the ban came into effect, but he is up to the task.
“It’s a little daunting at first, especially when you make a list of all the things that need to be changed,” he said. “But there are many suppliers that offer these things.”
The biggest challenge, Jackman said, is getting suppliers to stock items specifically for Telluride.
“Because they serve a larger community. They serve Telluride, Norwood, Ridgway, Montrose and Grand Junction. So it can be difficult to offer these niche products to Telluride, but I haven’t talked to anyone who doesn’t support that,” he said.
Jackman adds that as demand for environmentally friendly products increases, he anticipates potential supply chain issues, including the unavailability of certain products.
Despite the changes or any potential challenges to the market, Jackman says he supports the ban.
“For a community as small as Telluride to become a model for the rest of Colorado and the rest of the United States is a great step for us,” he said.
But not everyone is completely convinced.
“Our business is a to-go business, and we’ve been using compostable cups since we bought it in 2020,” says Scott Keating, co-owner of Coffee Cowboy. “So nothing has changed for our to-go cup scene.”
Keating is not against compostable cups – the Coffee Cowboy has used them since its inception – but he is skeptical about their environmental benefits.
For compostable cups to break down properly, an industrial composting process is required. Work is underway in the Telluride region, but such a process is not yet available.
Some studies have shown that it can take years for compostable materials to decompose in a landfill, releasing the greenhouse gas methane.
“In theory, if we actually compost it, it’s great,” says Keating. “But to put all that energy into something that’s actually worse for the environment doesn’t make sense. Ultimately, I feel like we’re greenwashing to make ourselves feel better.”
Keating is not against the regulation, but he wants the discussion to continue.
“This is a great first step. I don’t want to put it down,” says Keating.
“I try to be realistic. If we’re going to think about big problems and think them through, we shouldn’t just consider 20% of them. Let’s really think about it.”
For Keating, it is about a cultural change. Graber agrees on this point.
“We’re really trying to get a different mindset: throw away, reuse, then think about recycling, then everything else,” Graber says. “Changing people’s habits may seem like a big deal, but I think in a year or two, it will be very normal and we can drive a much more sustainable lifestyle than the consumer-driven lifestyle we have nationwide.”
A national culture shift toward zero waste may be a big goal, but Telluride is trying to do its part – one cup at a time.
Copyright: 2024 KOTO.
This story was shared with KSUT through Rocky Mountain Community Radio, a network of public media stations in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico, including KSUT.
