As Cuyahoga County works to enforce its disposable bag ban, some shops are getting some extra help from a Sustainable Store Grant program.
The Cuyahoga County Departments of Consumer Affairs and Sustainability gave funding to 31 local stores — a list which includes Lakewood's Doki Doki Kawaii Shop and Cleveland's Park to Shop Supermarket — to help make a shift away from single-use plastic bags. In total, $130,000 in grants were dispersed through the program, according to a press release.
“I want to say congratulations to our local stores who are receiving grant funds to help them transition away from plastic bags,” said County Executive Chris Ronayne in the press release. “There’s a real impact to this program — these grants are expected to help eliminate a combined 2 million plastic checkout bags each year. This is a great step in the right direction as we work together to reduce plastic litter and protect our environment.”
Individual shops received grants of up to $5,000, to help create customer reward programs and adjust checkout areas for reusable bags, according to a press release. The grant money will be administered by the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District.
“These grants were created to help our locally owned stores make the much-needed change away from throwaway checkout bags,” said District 11 County Councilwoman Sunny Simon in a press release. “We were thrilled so many smaller stores wanted to take this important first step in creating a sustainable Cuyahoga County."
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, every year, up to five trillion single-use plastic bags are used in the world.
Find more information about the Sustainable Stores program here.