Denver's environmental initiatives have reached a milestone as the city's Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency concludes a series of Plastic Bag Swap events, as per a release on Denvergov.org. In five months, organizers collected around 57,500 surrendered plastic bags, which collectively weigh as much as an adult grizzly bear. In return, they distributed over 1,900 reusable totes.

It's evident from the numbers that Denver residents are ready to embrace sustainability, the city’s initiative received a substantial response with 1,104 individuals sharing their insights through a survey, representing every City Council district in the metropolis, the same report details that 81% of those expressed they carry their reusable bag "every time" or "most times, but not all" and it also shows that 70% of participants are motivated primarily by environmental protection and waste reduction which highlights a communal shift in consumer behavior steering towards environmental consciousness according to the City and County of Denver.

Enhancing Denver’s environmental efforts, the city ensured that the collected plastic didn’t go to waste, instead, it found a fresh purpose. All the plastic bags and film that were donated during these events were sent to Trex, a company specializing in recycling plastic into outdoor furniture and decking products, thereby also supporting the recycling economy.