It’s Kuhl To Recycle: No-Styrofoam Ninja
12-Year-Old Played A Key Role In Colorado Ban
By Mark Kuhl
For the GPHN
Colorado’s ban on single-use plastic bags and Styrofoam started Jan. 1 (although retailers are allowed to “run-out” their inventory well into 2024). A 12-year old advocate, Madhvi Chittoor, played a big role in making this happen.
Inspired by an environmental documentary in 2016, Chittoor, who is from Arvada, convinced her school to eliminate Styrofoam lunch trays in 2018. Then she set her sights on the entire state of Colorado. In 2019 she gathered 3,500 signatures to support her cause and presented them to state legislators to supercharge an effort already in the works to ban singleuse plastic.
Congrats to Ms. Chittoor for her fearless pursuit of making the world a healthier place for all of us.
Mark Kuhl is an environmental advocate who lives in Park Hill with his family. His handy tips and news about recycling household items appear every month in these pages. A directory of his past columns for recycling everything from paint to Styrofoam to shoes is at greaterparkhill.org/sustainability/recycling-directory/.