The capital of the United Arab Emirates has begun its ban on single-use plastic bags in its bid to encourage the use of reusable products.
Effective as of Wednesday June 1, the Abu Dhabi ban is part of a wider initiative to protect the environment and reduce waste.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The directive was announced on April 6, by the Abu Dhabi Media Office, and is in line with the Environmental Agency – Abu Dhabi’s (EAD) single-use plastic policy that was introduced in 2020.
The ban is, for now, only on single-use plastic shopping bags. There are exemptions for bags designated for medicines in pharmacies, bag rolls for vegetables, meat, fish, chicken, grains and bread, large consumer shopping bags for clothing or electronic gadgets or toys, and waste bags.
EAD is implementing measures to reduce demand for about 16 single-use plastic products that include cups, stirrers, lids and cutlery.
It will also phase out single-use styrofoam cups, plates and food containers by 2024.
It follows a similar announcement from the neighboring emirate of Dubai that it would start applying a 25-fil (6 cent) charge to plastic bags in July, also with the aim of phasing the disposable bags out in two years.
The UAE, a major oil producer and the host of next year’s United Nations climate summit, has declared it aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Plastic bags are known as one of the most problematic kinds of garbage, polluting streets and waterways and harming birds and marine creatures.
Read more:
Abu Dhabi to ban single-use plastic bags from June
Plastic left by campers in UAE’s deserts is killing camels: Vet researcher
COVID couture: Dubai-based designer upcycles Spinneys bags into eco-friendly products
