Starting January 1st, Colorado will prohibit the sale of eggs that are not cage-free, and Walmart stores will no longer offer single-use plastic bags.

All eggs sold at grocery stores will be required to come from cage-free hens. That means Colorado egg producers need to make the required changes. Penalties could cost a store or producer up to $1,000 per violation, but state officials are allowing the next two years to serve as a transitional period to allow the required changes to be made.   

The decision is seen as a big win by animal rights advocates.   

For families struggling to find cheaper eggs on store shelves due to inflation and avian flu impacts, the idea of fewer choices is worrying.   

Another change you will see at the store is in how you will carry your purchases home.   

Beginning on January 1st, Walmart stores in Colorado will no longer offer single use plastic or paper bags to its customers. The announcement comes more than a year ahead of when a ban on plastic bags will go into effect statewide. Other stores in Colorado will begin charging a 10-cent fee per bag, to provide customers with a recycled paper or single-use plastic bag as part of a statewide mandate. The mandate was signed into law in July 2021.   

The measure goes into full effect on January 1, 2024, when single use plastic bags will be banned from stores and retail establishments, with the exception of restaurants and small stores that operate solely in Colorado and have three or fewer locations.