Two high school sophomores are hoping Coloradans will 'skip the stuff'

AURORA, Colo. — High schoolers Erica Choi and Dominick Redmond are working to pass a bill to reduce waste by asking restaurants only to provide single-use items upon request. 

Working with Democratic state lawmakers Sen. Lisa Cutter and Rep. Meg Froelich, the high schoolers introduced the proposed "Skip the Stuff" bill (SB26-146) March 24. The Colorado legislature is currently considering the bill.

“It literally started with a conversation on Snapchat, ‘Hey, do you want to pass a bill?’” Redmond, 16, said. 

Choi, 15, had no hesitation in saying yes. 

"We wanted to do ‘Skip the Stuff’ because environmental issues exist all around our state and tackling that is truly what's most important to us in our hearts,” Choi said. 

Denver actually already implements a “Skip the Stuff” ordinance. Since 2022, retail food establishments in Denver have only provided single-use items, like plastic utensils, napkins, straws and condiments, to customers who request them. 

The ordinance is part of Denver’s zero-waste initiative, which has led to programs like “Bring Your Own Bag” or the “Food Matters Restaurant Challenge” — all aimed at reducing waste in the city. 

Because many places in Colorado, like Breckenridge and Denver, are already taking the initiative towards a zero-waste mindset, Redmond doesn’t see why the rest of the state can’t adopt the same policy.

"The businesses win; they don't have to give out products that won't be used. The consumers win because they don't have to throw away clutter in their house,” Redmond said, referring to his family’s drawer of single-use condiments that they’ve accumulated over time. 

In the United States, restaurants and food service businesses spend $24 billion per year on single-use items. Single-use items surged during the pandemic as more people ordered take-out. Since then, legislators in Colorado have been working on reversing that usage. 

The two Cherry Creek High School sophomores had no prior experience with the legislative process besides what they learned in AP U.S. History or civics class, Choi said. 

Redmond had always been curious about political science. When he overheard his classmates in orchestra class talking about trying to pass a bill themselves, he reached out to Choi about where in Colorado they wanted to see change. 

They settled on finding a way to make Colorado more sustainable. 

“We drafted the bill entirely on our own — at least, to the best of two high schoolers’ abilities,” Redmond said. 

The two are working on this bill as a passion project outside of school. They researched the financial and environmental impacts of similar policies in other states and believed Colorado could see the same benefits. Red Bank, New Jersey, implemented a "skip the stuff" ordinance in 2024 and saw a 94% reduction in single-use cutlery. 

When Choi and Redmond pitched the bill to the sponsors, they weren’t expecting to hear back. To their surprise, they’re now entrenched in the legislative process and have since spoken about the bill in front of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. 

“Being in a room with all these older folks who know this process inside and out is such a great learning opportunity,” Redmond said. “We really get to see the perspective of someone who’s been in the field for years and years — a master at truly what they do.” 

Choi and Redmond are also working with the Colorado Youth Advisory Council (COYAC) on legislation for this bill. COYAC is a team of 40 members, ages 14 to 19, that supports Colorado teens to have a voice in the state’s lawmaking process.

“We’re really just trying to change the default from wasteful to sustainable,” said high school senior Sophie Tipper, who serves as Senate District 16 representative for COYAC. 

Tipper clarified that the students don’t want to ban single-use items; they want to limit the amount of waste by making the cutlery optional. 

Tipper acts as chair for the environmental committee and is working with Redmon and Choi to advocate for the bill. 

“I’m someone who grew up with a lot of climate anxiety,  seeing it on the news and having to deal with the after effects of pollution,” Tipper said. “I think it’s important to have spaces like [COYAC] in Colorado where youth can speak on climate policy and make change.”

The bill is currently under consideration and will be discussed in an April 23 committee meeting.

If passed, starting in 2027, Colorado restaurants and delivery apps will stop including single-use serviceware with orders unless a customer asks for it.

"If two sophomores at Cherry Creek High School can create a bill draft, talk to a bunch of senators and representatives, and even get a bill introduced — then anyone can do it, as long as you have the motivation and an idea,” Choi said.