Cuyahoga County is committed to eliminating single-use plastic checkout bags

Shoppers and retailers are encouraged to visit Cuyahoga Recycles BYOBags or call 216-443-3749 to learn more.

Why is eliminating our use of single-use plastic important?

• 86% of the litter collected on Great Lakes beaches is composed of plastic.
• Plastics never go away. Instead, they break down into toxic microplastic particles that make their way into the Great Lakes, a source of drinking water for 40 million people.
• Microplastics have been found throughout the human body; scientists are still researching the effects.
• Plastic production emits greenhouse gases at every point in its life cycle contributing to climate change.
• As Climate Change continues to affect the world, our economic growth is at risk from wasted natural resources and declining environmental health.

Plastic Bag Ban

Cuyahoga County’s Disposable Bag Ban was passed by County Council in 2019, however, the State of Ohio preempted the ordinance with a “ban on bans.” Therefore, the County is not currently enforcing the ordinance. Instead, the County is seeking voluntary compliance and support from retailers and educating and empowering consumers to BYOBags.

Under the leadership of an Advisory Group consisting of the Departments of Sustainability and Consumer Affairs and the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, the BYOBags initiative provided grants to more than 33 retailers to eliminate plastic checkout bags from their stores, distributed over 86,000 reusable bags countywide, and participated in extensive community outreach, media messaging and engagement events.