The city of Durango is providing free reusable bags at several locations to those who may be struggling to keep up with the financial costs of the new 10-cent single-use bag fee.

The financial impact of the bag fee on low-income residents has been on the minds of city officials ever since the subject came up before the fees took effect in January.

The city is working with several nonprofits to distribute free reusable bags to residents who need them, however the bags are also available to anyone who may want one, said Marty Pool, the city’s sustainability manager.

Free reusable bags are available at three nonprofits: Manna soup kitchen at 1100 Avenida del Sol; the Women’s Resource Center at 679 East Second Ave., Unit No. 6; and the La Plata Family Centers Coalition at 495 Florida Road. Free reusable bags can also be picked up at City Hall, the Durango Transit Center and the Durango Public Library.

Reusable bags will be limited to two bags per person, according to a news release from the city of Durango. The city encourages people to call locations ahead of time to confirm availability. The Durango Farmers Market will also offer free reusable bags when it opens for the 2023 market season on May 13, and Visit Durango, the tourism office, has a “Boomerang Bag Program” where shoppers can take a free bag from participating businesses and return it to another involved business or organization after use.

The tourism office also partnered with the nonprofit Local First during Noel Night to dsitribute 350 boomerang bags to local businesses, Rachel Welsh, Visit Durango spokeswoman, said.

Reusable bags can also be purchased cheaply at most grocery stores, including at City Market where some bags are available for less than one dollar.

The fees, which took effect Jan. 1 and largely apply to corporate and franchise retailers such as Albertsons, City Market and Walmart, are intended to push shoppers away from single-use paper and plastics that are common forms of litter and contributors to overconsumption, the release says.

Companies that implement the fees can retain 40% of fees collected, while 60% of fees are to be remitted to municipalities. In Durango, collected fees will contribute to city efforts to supply reusable bags and other waste management work, the release says.

The 10-cent single-use plastic and paper bag fees took effect on the first day of the year, but the specific amount of fees collected so far won’t be ready for several more months. Pool said the fees are collected on a quarterly basis.

“We won’t have those numbers probably until May because (businesses) have all of April to submit the first quarters’ collections,” he said.

In October, Pool said he doesn’t expect the city to make a lot of money from single-use bag fees. He guessed the total revenue generated will be between $5,000 and $10,000 annually per impacted store, and the city will collect between $3,000 and $6,000 per store.

cburney@durangoherald.com

This article was updated to include information about Visit Durango’s “Boomerang Bag Program.”