CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County Council voted on Thursday to delay the enforcement of the ban on single-use plastic bags until July of 2020.
The adopted resolution gives retailers in the county a six-month grace period to prepare for the change. The ban will still go into effect on January 1.
The change comes as the city of Cleveland opted out of the county's ban earlier this month to allow for a working group of city officials, business owners, environmental leaders and others within the community to study the proposition.
State lawmakers are working on bills that would block local plastic bag bans. The Ohio House passed its version last week after passing similar legislation before the end of the last session. The Ohio Senate continues to debate their bill.
13 other states have passed similar preemptive laws that block local governments from enacting ordinances that ban, or place fees on plastic bags.
Cuyahoga County Council voted in May for the plastic bag ban. It will outlaw retailers from providing single-use plastic bags and paper bags that are not 100 percent recyclable or made from at least 40 percent of recycled material. It wouldn't apply to plastic bags that customers bring with them, bags used for carry-out orders of prepared food/leftovers, newspapers or perishable items such as produce, meat, and garbage. Bags used for dry cleaning, and pre-packaged bags for pet waste are also excluded from the ban.
Retailers that are first-time violators of the ban would be subject to a written warning, with second violations carrying a civil fine of $100 and subsequent violations resulting in fines up to $500. Enforcement will be handled by the Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs.
Cuyahoga County became the first county in the state to pass such a ban. Orange Village was the first municipality in Ohio to enact a ban on disposable plastic bags last December.
You can watch the Cuyahoga County Council meeting from Thursday in the player below: