In signing this petition, you are informing our City Leaders that you are a resident of Fort Collins and support reducing single-use plastic pollution by transitioning away from water sold in single-use plastic under one gallon (with exceptions for emergency situations) to more sustainable containers. Because.................................

Our city's tap water is not only more affordable than bottled water but was rated the best in the Rocky Mountain Region and second best in the nation according to the American Water Works Association. 

Research has shown that drinking water bottled in single-use plastic is poisoning our bodies as the plastic breaks down into microplastics and enters our bodies on a cellular level. 

Eliminating plastic water bottles from our city will save taxpayer dollars spent on litter clean up, and prevent plastic pollution from ending up in our waterways, soil and air. It will also help Fort Collins meet our climate goals, because plastic water bottles have a significant carbon footprint at all stages of their lifecycle. 

Here in Colorado, Frisco, Breckenridge and Telluride have joined cities across the nation in opting for water refill stations while allowing for the sale of water less than a gallon in more sustainable containers like aluminum. 

Two local groups in Fort Collins (FoCo Trash Mob and The PerSisters) have been instrumental in getting this measure before Council. The City Manager's staff is now currently researching ordinances passed in our state that have  implemented a ban on single-use plastic (SUP) water bottles in order to report back to Council. 

But we need a show of support from the community to get our City Council members on board. 

While this alone will not solve the plastic pollution crisis, it is a step in the right direction. Case in point, Concord, Massachusetts was the first in the nation to ban SUP water bottles. To date, twenty-five additional towns and cities in Massachusetts have passed similar bans. The cumulative domino effect has a significant impact. Frisco, Breckenridge, Telluride inspires Fort Collins that in turn inspires, Boulder, Denver, etc... let's make that happen!

Visit FoCo Trash Mob at: https://focotrashmob.org

For more on the climate impacts of plastic pollution, please see: The New Coal: Plastics and Climate Change published in October 2021 at: https://bit.ly/plasticisthenewcoal