CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cuyahoga County could soon join cities nationwide by placing a 10 cent fee on plastic and paper single-use bags.

County Councilwoman Sunny Simon introduced legislation on Tuesday that if approved would take effect in July 2018. The 10-cent fee would apply to establishments that are more than 7,000 square feet, including supermarkets, stores and restaurants.

The goal is to prompt Cuyahoga County residents into using reusable bags, which would keep plastic out of Lake Erie, Simon said.

"This 10-cent fee is a fee for our future and for our children," she said.

County Councilman Dale Miller is also sponsoring the ordinance.

Simon has been researching the idea several years, though this is the first time council will decide on this kind of ordinance. Simon said it's necessary to protect Lake Erie and that hundreds of cities, such as Austin, don't even have lakes to protect and have passed similar legislation.

"If anybody should do this, it should be us," she said.

She said 5.5 million pounds of plastic pollution contaminates Lake Erie each year.

From the fee, 6 cents will help rid the county of litter and clean up Lake Erie and other waterways. The rest will return to the stores to offset the cost of implementing the program.

Simon, who first broached the idea in 2012, said a regional approach is essential because it's not just Cleveland with a plastic bag problem. The fee is for both plastic and paper, which also has an impact on the environment.

It costs businesses four times more to supply paper bags than plastic bags, Simon said.

There are exemptions to the 10-cent fee. Occasional retailers, such as arts festivals, curb-side or delivery services would be exempt. Customers on food stamps would not have to pay. Garbage bags could still be made of plastic.

The county would give away free reusable bags at libraries, senior centers, city halls and community centers.

Once introduced, the ordinance will go to a series of committee hearings.

Simon said proposing a fee instead of banning plastic bags gives Cuyahoga County residents a choice, but as attitude shifts, a ban could be a good idea in the future.