Today, Wednesday, the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, began counting single-use plastic bags, with the majority of them being replaced with reusable ones for a fee, in one of the countries that consume the most plastic bags.
The media office of the emirate government said in a tweet: “Abu Dhabi begins banning the use of single-use plastic bags, starting today.” Excluded from the decision are bags for medicine, waste and food items such as fruits and meat, and shopping bags for clothes and toys.
The Governmental Environment Agency in Abu Dhabi called on retail outlets to “provide alternative environmentally friendly and reusable bags for a nominal fee to encourage consumers to adopt this positive change in environmental behavior.” It said that the aim of the decision is to “support the emirate’s efforts towards achieving an environmentally friendly future.”
Dubai Municipality intends to impose a financial tariff on single-use plastic bags starting from the first of July, up to a complete ban within two years.
The UAE, which is trying to show more and more its commitment to sustainable development, will host next year the United Nations Climate Summit “COP 28”. It hopes to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
