SJR 22

                          Second Regular Session
                       Seventy-fifth General Assembly
                         STATE OF COLORADO
                                                                           ENGROSSED
LLS NO. R26-0826.01 Shannon Wheeler x4340  SJR26-022
                          SENATE SPONSORSHIP
 Cutter, Amabile, Ball, Benavidez, Bridges, Coleman, Danielson, Daugherty, Exum,
 Gonzales J., Jodeh, Kipp, Kolker, Lindstedt, Marchman, Roberts, Rodriguez, Snyder,
 Sullivan, Wallace, Weissman
                           HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
 Joseph,
 Senate Committees  House Committees
                      SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 26-022
101    CONCERNING DESIGNATING JULY 12 THROUGH 18, 2026, AS PLASTIC
102POLLUTION AWARENESS WEEK.
1WHEREAS, Plastic Pollution Awareness Week is meant to be a
2    statewide observance focused on educating and engaging Coloradans
3    about the growing threats of plastic pollution to environmental and human
4    health; and
5WHEREAS, Plastic products are derived from oil and gas
6    processing, which contributes to climate change; and
7WHEREAS, Plastic products often contain chemical additives; and
8WHEREAS, Plastic production has disproportionately negative
9    public and environmental health impacts on low-income communities and
10    communities of color that are located near refineries and plastic
11    production facilities; and
12WHEREAS, Microplastics are pieces of plastic measuring five
13    millimeters or less and nanoplastics are pieces of plastic measuring one
14    micrometer or less, and these micro- and nanoplastics originate from
                                                                                                    Final Reading
                                                                                                    April 22, 2026
                                                                                                      SENATE
         Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
      Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
            Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
1 plastic products, including packaging, synthetic fibers in textiles, and
2 tires; and
3WHEREAS, Micro- and nanoplastics may be accidentally inhaled,
4 eaten, or drunk, and thereby distributed to vital human organs, including
5 the heart, lungs, reproductive organs, and brain; and
6WHEREAS, Microplastics are increasingly found passing the
7 blood-brain barrier, in human reproductive organs, and in placentas; and
8WHEREAS, Emerging research indicates that microplastics have
9 negative effects on human health; and
10WHEREAS, Microplastics are a growing global concern, as they
11 are cumulative and found in every remote corner of the world; now,
12 therefore,
13Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly
14 of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:
15That the Colorado General Assembly designates July 12 through
16 18, 2026, as "Plastic Pollution Awareness Week" in recognition that:
17(1) Plastic products have improved many aspects of human life,
18 especially in the arenas of health care and food safety, and yet the
19 negative impacts of plastic pollution on human and environmental health
20 present a growing challenge;
21(2) The state has taken meaningful action to reduce plastic
22 pollution and improve recycling systems;
23(3) Plastic recycling is only one of many tools to reduce the
24 negative impacts of plastic pollution, and it will not solve this
25 multifaceted issue on its own;
26(4) It is important to raise awareness about the sources and
27 dangers of plastic pollution with a goal to help consumers make informed
28 purchases and advocate for solutions, and to encourage companies to
29 increase their efforts to reduce this growing challenge; and
30      (5) By raising awareness, we can better come together as local
31 communities, businesses, institutions, non-profits, informed consumers,
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1 and the state legislature to craft and implement solutions to reduce plastic
2 pollution and its harmful impact in Colorado.
3Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Senate Joint Resolution
4 be sent to Eco-Cycle, GreenLatinos Colorado, Colorado Public Interest
5 Research Group (CoPIRG), Healthy Air and Water Colorado, Moms
6 Clean Air Force, League of Women Voters, Conservation Colorado,
7 Environment Colorado, Walking Mountains Science Center, High
8 Country Conservation Center, Western Resilience Center, and Colorado
9 Communities for Climate Action.
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