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Ikea Helps Environment: Charges A Nickel For Plastic Bags

Ikea is going to charge customers 5 cents for every plastic bag they use to carry their Glasklar dishes and Bibbi Snurr blankets. Proceeds from the surcharge will go to the nonprofit group American Forests to plant trees, with dual goals of restoring forests and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Ikea's U.S. stores went through 70 million plastic bags last year--and officials want to cut that in half over the first year of the "bring your own bag" policy. That would equate to about 1.5 million trees being planted. Ikea also will sell its reusable bags for 59 cents, down from the current 99 cents, for customers that forget to bring their own.

Ikea implemented the bag charge in June across Britain, and the company anticipates more than a 90% drop in disposable bag use within the first year.

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Read the whole story at Miami Herald/AP »

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