Here in Fort Collins, we pride ourselves on being a green community. CSU ranks number one in sustainability yet again, and that is certainly something of which we can be proud. The only place that one cannot readily see our drive to save the planet is when you walk into the grocery store.

Plastic bags take up space and do not decompose. We know this, and yet we systematically ignore it every time we go to pay for our groceries, in which we receive dozens and then proceed to throw them all away at one point or another. There are plenty of alternatives; almost all grocery stores offer their own reusable bag, plus you can buy them just about anywhere and use them every time you shop.

But, giving people access to reusable bags and getting them to use them is a completely different story. But take heart — money talks. Fort Collins is talking about enacting a disposable bag fee, in which you will be charged 5-to-10 cents for each bag. That alone isn’t enough to break the bank, but it would be enough to make you think twice.

No more excuses about leaving them in the car; bring your reusable bags into the grocery store every time you go and then you can avoid paying any extra on top of astronomical grocery prices. Let’s get with the times, FoCo.