(COLORADO SPRINGS) — As the new year unfolds in Colorado, restaurants are facing a challenges boxing up to-go orders without using Styrofoam. A new regulation effective Jan. 1 aims to minimize the effects of plastic on our environment and reduce waste in landfills.

“Styrofoam was kind of interesting for everybody because your cost of goods going to papers is going to go up about 20 to 25% just on all your paper goods,” said Bobby Couch, Owner of The Green Line Grill. “A lot of people have been using Styrofoam for years and years and years.”

Now in effect, restaurants cannot distribute expanded polystyrene product, also known as Styrofoam. Some restaurants like The Green Line Grill were able to make changes to their to-go containers to be ready for this new regulation.

“We changed over just recently because you know the law was going to effect,” Couch said. “So, we started implementing that about six months ago.”

At The Green Line Grill, the restaurant now uses 100% paper products according to the owner.

Another challenge restaurants are facing comes with an increase in minimum wage, going from $13.65 to $14.42 an hour. Couch explained he was working double shifts to watch labor costs.

“Food costs, everything’s on the up right now,” Couch said. “We’re just maintaining as best as we can, as everyone else is.”

At The Green Line Grill, a burger with fries is cooked for one hungry customer.

Now when placing to-go orders at The Green Line Grill, a paper box will be used to store burgers, fries, and all their other signature menu items.

“It impacts everybody every time we have a new law change,” Couch said. “So, we want to just make sure that we’re aware of what’s going on, several months prior to that coming into play.”

While there are new changes with this new year, Couch said it’s “just a little bit more puzzle pieces to work with.”

Another business impacted in downtown Colorado Springs is Azada Mexican Grill, a family-run restaurant that has been serving the area since 2013.

“Everything here is homemade,” said Emily Hernandez, an employee at Azada Mexican Grill. “Every time a customer comes in, I ask if they’ve been here before. If not, I tell them the most popular item on our menu is our chicken burrito, and everything here is homemade.”

Hernandez has grown up working alongside her family members and helping out in the kitchen. Over the year, she has seen the changes to the Southern Colorado restaurant industry.

“The city’s raising the minimum wage, so we kind of have to raise our prices for our burritos if we want to continue to still work here,” said Hernandez. 

A quesadilla is packed in a to-go box on Tuesday afternoon with rice and beans placed in the separate components.

Styrofoam is a key component in their to-go orders, as it helps store sides like rice and beans which comes with several menu items.

“It’s very convenient for us, the three compartment one because we serve the rice beans and then quesadilla in there,” Hernandez said. “That’s the majority of what we use the Styrofoam for… and then we do get a lot of customers who ask for to go orders.”

Another favorite among customers is the family’s homemade queso, which when ordered to-go is served in a Styrofoam cup.

“Like the only thing that we use for our queso is that Styrofoam cups,” Hernandez stated. “So, I don’t know, who knows where we’re going to put it in now.”

At Azada Mexican Grill, to-go queso is served in this Styrofoam cup but now an alternative product will need to be used.

According to HB21-1162, a retail food establishment or store can face a fine of $500 for a second violation and up to $1,000 for a third violation.

Businesses can continue to use up Styrofoam inventory that were purchased before Jan. 1, 2024. However, once they run out, they cannot purchase any more plastic foam product and instead must use another type of container.