Dayton record store cuts plastic bags use

Omega Music, an independent record store in the Oregon District, has successfully encouraged customers to skip the bag at checkout.

Its Skip the Bag program, started in September 2017, gives customers the option to skip the bag at checkout and in its place, choose a charity to donate 10 cents, the cost of a shopping bag.

Last year, Omega donated $1,569.80 to local nonprofits and kept 11,624 plastic bags out of landfills and waterways.

Customers are given a puzzle piece that represents the cost of the bag and customers can drop the piece in one of three boxes on the counter representing three charities, said Mike Cooley, spokesman for Omega Music. Omega donates 10 cents, the cost of the bag, to that charity at the end of each month and picks three new charities every month to use.

SARAH FRANKS