How far should CB go with addressing plastic pollution?

A “feel good” move or will it make a difference?

By Mark Reaman 

Crested Butte sustainability coordinator Dannah Leeman came to the town council at the September 3 meeting to see if they would be interested in pursuing further limitations of single-use plastics in town. While not unanimously enthusiastic, the council indicated they are interested in gathering more information and perhaps making such a move. 

The town imposed a plastic bag ban in 2018. Under state statute, as of July 1, 2024, Leeman said “local governments may now require or prohibit use or sale of plastic materials or products and restrict or mandate certain containers, packaging, or labeling for consumer products.”

She said further banning some plastic products aligns with the 2019 CB Climate Action Plan directives to enact waste reduction and recycling to work toward becoming a zero-waste community. In her memo to the council, she said single-use plastic pollution should be curbed given its direct impact on reducing waste volumes managed by the town Parks Department; it could reduce the amount of waste visitors produce; it is another opportunity to continue to lead in the climate realm; it would reduce the public health issues associated with plastic pollution; and it has the support of the community.

“What about the grocery stores?” asked councilmember Kent Cowherd. “They use a lot of plastic.”

“In some places that have enacted more stringent regulations, they are exempted,” responded Leeman. “In other places, single-use plastic prohibitions include groceries, but it is challenging. Understand that single-use water bottles are, for example, defined as containers under a gallon.”

“If the council wants to pursue it to that extent, we will certainly reach out directly to Clark’s Market,” assured town manager Dara MacDonald.

“My little European heart would love to see how the more aggressive prohibition models are working,” said councilmember Gabi Prochaska.

Leeman said Breckenridge and Frisco along with Telluride have enacted the most stringent plastic restrictions and they have reported success in the effort.

“We would definitely have to work with restaurants and businesses to provide options other than plastic,” said Leeman. 

“It would seem that the more towns that take such stringent stands, the more likely the major restaurant suppliers like Cisco and Shamrock would adjust what they provide,” said councilmember Beth Goldstone.

Cowherd again noted that a lot of packaging in Clark’s is plastic. He said to-go containers in many restaurants are also plastic.

Prochaska asked for more information from the other resort communities that have enacted such bans. She said she’d like to see how the programs were rolled out and the difficulties they encountered in implementing the program.

“I’ll be a contrarian on this one,” said mayor Ian Billick. “For me, when you tell people they can’t do things, you need to clearly lay out the logic. So, I would say we need a lot more information. And we need to see if what we are discussing is meaningful. Does it really reduce waste? From what I’ve seen, most micro-plastics originate from things like tires and the fibers in some clothes.” 

“I would like the town to set the good example,” said Prochaska.

“But will it have a meaningful impact on things like micro-plastics,” asked Billick.

“For me, saying that doing it in Crested Butte won’t have a major impact on micro-plastics is not a reason to not do it,” responded Prochaska.

“It’s not clear to me that if everyone did it, it would matter,” said Billick. “Is it just taking a feel-good action?”

“I don’t think it’s distracting to do small things,” said Prochaska. “We can agree to disagree on this.”

“I would like more information on how it would reduce waste in the landfill, whether that is in Gunnison County or Grand Junction,” said Goldstone.

“I agree with the idea that what we ask people to do, or not do, should be impactful,” said councilmember Mallika Magner.

“The other element is that having the overflowing trash bins on Elk Avenue is not an image to send visitors home with from here,” said Prochaska.

Billick noted the town uses compacting trash bins, so whether the items in the cans are plastic or paper shouldn’t matter with the overflow issue when they are working. “As for the health perspective, again, does it matter at all, especially given the sourcing of micro-plastics from fibers and tires? Are we going to ban all tires? There is a lot of uncertainty for me right now,” he said.

“In some ways it starts to be similar to the town’s electrification,” said Cowherd. “Does it matter in the world? No. But it presents an example to the world and matches our community values.”

“I don’t see it as the same,” said Billick. “If all municipalities moved to electrification, it would be a big part of the solution. It’s not clear that even if all municipalities took these measures on plastics, it would make any kind of difference.”

Leeman said she would gather more information and return with more data for the council to consider.