Sale of item commonly used by many BANNED in Colorado mountain town

The Town of Breckenridge has officially banned the sale or offering of single-use plastic water bottles by restaurants, stores, and other establishments, as of July 1.

The move is part of Ordinance No. 12, which aims to reduce local consumption of single-use plastics. The ban on water bottles is accompanied by a local ban on single-use plastic food serviceware (utensils) and plastic containers and follows a ban on containers made of polystyrene products, commonly referred to as Styrofoam, which went into effect at the start of the year.

Penalties for establishments that violate the rules can stack up quickly. After a written warning, there's a $50 fine for the next violation, a $100 fine for the next one, and a $300 fine for every violation that follows, with no more than one penalty able to be imposed per week.

There is an exception for plastic water bottles that contain a gallon of water or more.

Read the full text of the ordinance here , a press release from the town here , or find a more in-depth look at this situation from local news source Summit Daily .

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