IKEA to Ban Plastic Bags in U.S. Stores

Helsingborg, Sweden IKEA said it would no longer offer plastic bags or paper bags in its U.S. stores, effective Oct. 1, 2008.

Last March, IKEA launched an initiative to charge customers 5? for each disposable plastic bag requested at checkout. About 92% of IKEA customers have since avoided plastic bags. 

The program’s success has inspired the company to stop offering plastic bags to customers.

Starting in October, customers can put purchases in bags brought from home or in one of the store's own reusable blue shopping bags, which sell for 59?.

IKEA U.K. has also had success with its bag-less program, having gone plastic-bag free in June 2007, while IKEA Australia stopped sales of all their plastic bags December 2007.