Cuyahoga County’s Disposable Bag Ban is in effect. The County’s immediate priority is to support retailers through the transition away from plastic checkout bags so that everyone can benefit from a healthier, safer, more economically viable Cuyahoga County. County residents can help reduce the demand for single-use plastic bags by bringing their own reusable bags when shopping.

Disposable plastic bags are a major source of pollution in our land, neighborhoods and waterways. They harm wildlife and people, impose cleanup costs on our communities, and contribute to climate change. Over 319 million plastic bags become waste each year in Cuyahoga County. Cuyahoga County joins the many other communities and nations who are taking steps to curb plastic pollution.

Read the Disposable Bag Ban legislation.

Not quite. Though some plastic bags can be recyclable, as of 2015 almost 90% of single use plastic bags, sacks, and wraps were never recycled.

Many of the companies that support recycling as a solution for the plastic waste problem continue to invest in plastic production, allowing the amount of plastic waste to grow. Many consumer goods companies have put an undue burden to reduce plastic waste on consumers.

In the United States, six times more plastic waste is burned than recycled. This not only is a waste of the natural resources that polyethylene plastic bags are made of, but even highly regulated landfills and incinerators could pose human health and environmental justice concerns.

Recycling can be one small part of the solution, but the real need is to cut out single-use plastic waste so it never has to be disposed of.

Many countries and U.S. cities have adopted bag bans and restrictions. At least 127 countries and 349 jurisdictions have regulations on plastic bags—explore an interactive map of single-use plastic bag reduction policies in the United States.

Chicago, IL implemented a plastic bag tax that significantly reduced disposable bag us and increased the chance that shoppers would use reusable bags.

In cities like San Jose, programs have reduced the amount of single-use plastic bags found in rivers and creeks by 78%, and 69% in storm drain inlets.

In 2019, San Jose retailers reported a 94% reduction in single-use plastic bag usage.

The County Board of Health has useful tips for keeping your reusable bags clean:

• Wash your reusable bags routinely—turn them inside out and either hand wash them in hot soapy water or put them in a washing machine on the gentle cycle. Dry them in a machine or on the clothesline.
• Wipe down bags that can’t be washed with disinfecting or anti-bacterial wipes, especially if fresh foods may have dripped from their original containers.
• Use separate bags for raw meats, seafood and produce. Minimize the chance of cross-contamination by placing raw foods that may drip in separate bags from ready-to-eat foods, like fruits and vegetables.
• You can safely transport food products and chemicals, including cleaners and other non-food liquids, in separate labeled bags.
• Store bags in your car instead of your trunk to help keep them dry. Keep them visible, so you don’t forget to bring them into the store with you.
• Discard old bags that can no longer be properly washed or disinfected.
• When in doubt, wash your reusable bags!

• While the average time period a plastic is used is only 12 minutes, each year over 300 million bags are discarded in Cuyahoga County alone.
• Plastic bag waste increases public maintenance and cleanup costs. Water and sewer systems run more smoothly without plastic bags clogging storm drains and discharging into our waterways.
• Each stage of the plastic lifecycle poses significant risks to human health. Plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to break down in a landfill. Plastics never fully decompose. Instead, they degrade into microplastics and leech toxic chemicals that contaminate our water and air.
• Lake Erie, the smallest Great Lake, has one of the highest concentrations of microplastics in the world.
• Plastic bag waste threatens our natural ecosystems and the health of our native biodiversity.

• In Chicago, bag usage dropped by more than 50 percent in the first month of their program.
• San Jose programs have reduced the number of single-use plastic bags found in rivers and creeks by 78%, and 69% in storm drain inlets. In 2019, retailers reported a 94% reduction in single-use plastic bag usage.
• At least 127 countries and at least 349 jurisdictions have regulations on plastic bags.

• Plastic, Paper or Cotton: Which Shopping Bag is Best?
• The New Coal: Plastics and Climate Change
• Plastics: Material-Specific Data | US EPA
• 10 Facts About Single-use Plastic Bags (biologicaldiversity.org)
• Microplastics are everywhere — but are they harmful? (nature.com)
• Lifetime Accumulation of Microplastic in Children and Adults
• Plastic Contaminations – Lake Erie Foundation
• The Recycling Myth: Big Oil’s Solution for Plastic Waste Littered with Failure
• Evaluating scenarios toward zero plastic pollution
• Cuyahoga Recycles: Reduce Plastic WasteEPA: U.S. plastics recycling rate declines
• Cuyahoga Recycles: Reduce Plastic Waste