IKEA Israel to ban all plastic disposable products by 2020
The move is part of a store-wide international effort to reduce damage to the environment by minimizing waste normally produced by the store and its subsidiaries.
By ZACHARY KEYSERIKEA 521(photo credit: Maurice Picow)
The Israeli branches of the Swedish furniture retailer IKEA will be discontinuing the sale and use of disposable plastic items in their stores - such as straws, furniture accessories and bags, as well as cutlery and plates used in the cafeteria and sold throughout the store.The move is part of a international effort to reduce damage to the environment by minimizing waste normally produced by the store and its subsidiaries. Last year, IKEA banned these types of disposable products from all stores located in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and announced that it would phase out all non-biodegradable disposable materials from all of its stores by 2020.“Plastic straws have become such an important emblem for change when it comes to single-use plastic, but this campaign is not just about straws,” said IKEA spokeswoman Hege Sæbjørnsen in regards to the initiative. “We want to harness people’s energy behind ditching single-use plastic straws and disposables, to draw attention to the thousands of everyday changes we can all make to have a big impact on the planet.”According to Globes, a new line of eco-friendly products will be introduced into the store's catalog as alternatives to the non-biodegradable furniture accessories, such as curtains created out of recycled plastic, kitchen facades and carpets crafted out of recycled plastic bottles, as well as alternatives to plastic bags.Plastic straws are condemned by environmental activists due to their enduring environmental footprint. Straws are one of the most common types of waste found on the beach, and they cannot be recycled. In addition, marine life such as sea turtles mistake the plastic straws for food and can get them jammed in their nasal passages or throats, causing health hazards and death.The changes will be implemented in the Israeli stores by the end of the calendar year.
