Photo for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

Since June 1, 2022, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi's (EAD) single-use plastic policy has cut the usage of 87 million plastic bags by over 90%, supporting sustainability efforts in the emirate. The agency reported a significant drop in single-use plastic bag use on Sunday as customers switched to more sustainable, reusable bags. EAD's education and awareness campaign is driving this beneficial customer behavior change. Since the single-use plastic bag ban was enacted in Abu Dhabi in June, EAD, the Department of Economic Development, and the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority have been inspecting sales outlets jointly. The tours monitor compliance with the prohibition and educate outlets about the significance of switching to reusable bags that meet Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council technical standards. Inspections found good compliance with the ban and approved alternatives. More than 80% of outlets are committed to levying voluntary fees, including Abu Dhabi's leading retail outlets, which have signed a voluntary commitment to support the ban, obtain alternatives, resources, and money to safeguard the environment, and minimize plastic sales. In line with their pledge, the retailers charge a price for each alternative reusable plastic shopping bag to reduce and reuse bag use. Fifteen awareness sessions targeted youth, public and private sector institutions, and industrial and commercial sectors, with 3,550 participants. In 2022, over 30 million plastic bottles were recovered, up from 7.25 million in 2021, and over 10 tons, or 850,000 bottles, were collected weekly. BKM/ Expat Media
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