CLEVELAND — To coincide with Earth Day on April 22, Giant Eagle stores in Cuyahoga County will discontinue single-use plastic grocery bags.
Giant Eagle says guests are encouraged to bring reusable grocery bags when shopping at its stores. Cuyahoga County joins the Erie, Pennsylvania region as the first two Giant Eagle communities to remove single-use plastic bags.
To further encourage single-use plastic bags, paper bags will be sold for 10 cents each. While paper bags are biodegradable and recyclable, they have a high environmental cost in terms of water and energy needed to produce them.
Customers paying with forms of government-funded food purchase assistance will be exempt from the paper bag fee.
Giant Eagle is hosting a reusable bag sweepstakes for customers to have the chance every month to win $10,000
In the coming months, Giant Eagle roll plans to eliminate single-use plastic bags from its supermarkets across other regions.
Giant Eagle’s discontinuation of single-use plastic bags comes after Cuyahoga County quietly adopted its plastic bag ban in January.
The ban on disposable bags was approved in 2019 and prohibits retailers from provided disposable bags at the checkout while allowing them to provide recyclable paper bags and sell reusable bags.
Stores of all types are included in Cuyahoga County's plastic bag ban, including retail stores, convenience stores, grocery stores, service stations and drug stores.
The ban went back into effect on Jan. 16, according to the county.
Now, the ban is listed as back in effect on the county's website, the county says its first priority is to support retailers through the transition away from disposable bags.
RELATED: Cuyahoga County's plastic bag ban has been quietly in effect since January
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