Throughout the month of July, Cuyahoga County is celebrating Plastic Free Month, a time to recognize the importance and impact of decreasing our use of single-use plastics. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), landfills received 27 million tons of plastic in 2018. This was 18.5 percent of all municipal solid waste landfilled. Single-use plastics are small, but they have a large impact on the environment.

Cuyahoga County is committed to reducing plastic waste through the elimination of single-use plastic bags. The County enacted legislation to ban plastic checkout bags early this year, with enforcement expected by the end of 2022. While the enforcement is temporarily on hold, it is the County’s priority to help stores transition from using single-use plastic bags at the checkout ahead of any enforcement action.

To learn more about the County’s Plastic Bag Ban, visit cuyahogacounty.us/sustainability/initiatives/byobag.

What you can do

There are several ways to get involved in reducing plastic waste – you can take small steps or really challenge yourself. Below are a few easy steps you can take to get started:

• When you shop, take your own bags to the grocery, retail, or convenience store.
• Bring a reusable coffee cup in place of takeaway coffee cups or dine-in at your local café.
• Purchase plastic-free toothbrushes, toothpaste, and more.
• Replace liquid soap with bar soap and avoid single-use plastic.

For more information on how you can reduce plastic waste in your day-to-day life, read this blog post by the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District. Go to plasticfreejuly.org to learn more about how you can get involved.

Visit Cuyahoga County on Twitter to learn how you can enter for a chance to receive a free reusable shopping bag.