Boulder is asking locals to participate in the city’s second annual Plastic Count. The goal is to get a sense of how many single-use plastic products go through a typical home.
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When people sign up for the Plastic Count, they report their ZIP codes with their other data. Emily Freeman is Circular Economy Policy Advisor for the City of Boulder. She told KUNC that, despite how it might look to some, the count is not meant to shame anyone.
“The zip code is just to understand: are you maybe living and/or working in Boulder? We would like to have more people to participate, so we can really understand what that landscape is,” Freeman said. “This is really just a great opportunity for us to dive in and understand how much we're consuming, so we can all be better informed citizens as we move forward in our lives.”
Last year, 100 participants in the Boulder Plastic Count reported 3,600 pieces of plastic waste.
Boulder’s count was inspired by the UK's Big Plastic Count. In 2026, the Big Plastic Count involved 68,000 people who reported an estimated 82 billion pieces of plastic waste.
Freeman said data from the counts will go before policymakers to show the impacts of state policies like the Plastic Pollution Reduction Act and the styrofoam ban. The numbers could also be used to support a possible revival of the "Skip The Stuff" bill, which was meant to reduce the use of disposable utensils.
“The Skip The Stuff bill was really an opportunity for the state to say it's okay if restaurants don't offer these single-use utensils and single-use condiment packets,” Freeman said. “But it doesn't take away that option if you want it or you need it. They can still be provided.”
Governor Polis vetoed the bill after state lawmakers passed it. Denver has a similar policy in place on the local level.
