CLEVELAND — After years of saying goodbye to plastic bags, Giant Eagle shoppers in Cuyahoga County are seeing a familiar sight at checkout.
The plastic is back.
But this time, the bags come with a recycled twist.
For the last six years, shoppers at the Giant Eagle in Rocky River have been asked, “Paper or reusable?” Dennis Fechter said his family kept a few of the store’s reusable bags and used them over and over.
“Originally we got them and saved 4…5…6… of them maybe at the most. And we just reuse them,” he said.
But now, customers are noticing the return of plastic bags.
“The plastic bags are probably more convenient because you can dispose them or use them again next time if you want to,” said Fechter.
“So we at Giant Eagle have been on a journey to reduce single use plastics since 2019. At that time we removed single use plastics from stores in Cuyahoga County,” said Giant Eagle spokesperson Dan Donovan.
Giant Eagle told News 5 in a statement:
Giant Eagle has been on a journey with our customers since 2019 to understand how we can best reduce single-use plastics across the communities we serve. This journey has provided many learnings, which have led to several evolutions of our grocery bag program.
The most recent program evolution was the introduction of fabric reusable bags. Unfortunately, we have not seen strong customer adoption of these reusable bags, with most not being reused and many likely being discarded after a single use. With this learning – and knowing that the fabric bags are not recyclable – we believe a change in approach is warranted.
For this reason, we have made the decision to introduce a new plastic grocery bag made of 75% recycled plastic. This new single-use plastic bag is reminiscent of the traditional plastic grocery bag customers have become accustomed to over the years, but with a significantly better environmental impact. When considered alongside our longstanding storefront single-use plastic bag recycling program, the introduction of the new recycled plastic grocery bag will allow us to reduce nearly four million pounds of plastic. This is in addition to our ongoing efforts to encourage customers to bring reusable bags when shopping with us.
The newly reintroduced plastic bags aren’t quite the same as the ones shoppers remember. They’re now made of 75% recycled plastic, part of the company’s ongoing sustainability goals.
“The 75% recycled plastic bag will hold up just as traditional just as single use plastic bags do,” Donovan said.
The change wasn’t made lightly. Giant Eagle said internal research showed that many of the reusable bags it provided weren’t being reused. In fact, stores were ordering them at nearly the same rate as they previously ordered plastic bags.
Starting Thursday, all Giant Eagle supermarkets across the company are transitioning to the new recycled plastic bags.
“Today all of our supermarkets company wide actually are featuring the new 75% recycled bags,” Donovan said.
While the new bags will be available at checkout, paper bags will still be offered—but only by request. Customers are also encouraged to bring their own reusable bags if they already have them. However, the store will no longer supply reusable bags for free.
Many shoppers said they find a second use for plastic bags anyway—whether it’s lining trash cans or something else.
“Usually I do like plastic bags at the other stores to pick up the dog poop,” said shopper Pat Seiple.
Giant Eagle says it remains committed to sustainability, but hopes this shift better meets the needs and habits of its customers.
