In light of ongoing supply chain issues and Ohio’s effort to “ban the ban,” the County has opted to not issue fines to stores. The County created a program to assist stores with voluntary compliance. To help retailers make the transition away from plastic checkout bags, the County launched the Sustainable Stores program.

Additionally, the County has a Communications Toolkit for retail stores to promote the Bring Your Own Bags education initiative, including graphics for signage and communications materials to help encourage customers to bring reusable bags when they shop.

Reducing the use of plastic checkout bags benefits retailers and their communities. In a 2019 survey of Cuyahoga County residents, 72% were in favor of a plastic bag ban. This indicates that many residents support retailers limiting checkout bags and presents an opportunity for retailers to cater toward consumer values.

Plastic checkout bags are not free to retailers, and their costs are passed down to consumers through higher prices. Eliminating them could not only reduce a cost to retailers, but also reduce the longer-term costs residents incur through county cleanups and disposal fees.

Healthier communities lead to healthier local economies and reducing plastic waste will vastly improve the health of Cuyahoga County neighborhoods.

Yes, you can charge a fee for the bags you provide in your store.

The kind of bags that are prohibited are disposable plastic bags (made from either non-compostable plastic or compostable plastic) that are provided by a Retail Establishment to a customer at point of sale for the purpose of transporting purchased items. Thicker film plastic bags are NOT allowed.

• Bags the customer brings with them to the Retail Establishment
• Newspaper bags
• Bags provided by a pharmacist that contains a prescription drug
• Bags used to package a bulk item or to contain or wrap a perishable item such as meat, fish, produce, baked goods, or flowers
• Bags that a restaurant gives a customer to take prepared or leftover food or drink from the restaurant
• Bags intended for use as dry cleaning, garbage, or yard waste bags, pre-packaged bags used for the collection of pet waste
• Bags provided to the consumer for the purpose of transporting a partially consumed bottle of wine pursuant to Section 4301.62(E) of the Ohio Revised Code
• Bags provided at curbside pickup or point of delivery
• Bags provided for the purpose of transporting hazardous materials

• Permitted paper bags, which are 100% recyclable and manufactured from at least 40% recycled content
• Reusable bags that are specifically intended for multiple reuses and is made of cloth, fiber, or other machine washable fabric. They must be at least 2.25 mils thick and capable of carrying a minimum of 18 pounds with at least 75 uses per bag.

• Stop offering single-use plastic bags at checkout.
• If providing paper bags, charge a fee for them. According to this local study, customer behavior is encouraged to change as a result of an incurred consequence like a fee. (This webinar summarizes the study.)
• Sell reusable, machine washable, woven bags to customers.
• Give customers incentives to bring reusable bags—for example, putting customers in drawings for gift cards if they bring their own bags, or providing them with rewards or giveaways for bringing bags.
• Hang reminder signs on doors or windows so customers don’t forget their bags in their cars.
• You can find a number of helpful resources for communications in our Communications Toolkit.

Retailers in Cuyahoga County cities that have opted out of the ban are still encouraged to stop offering single-use plastic bags at checkout and support Cuyahoga County’s overall commitment to reduce single-use plastic waste.