Shopping in Dubai? Bring your own plastic bag or be charged 25 fils

Stores in Dubai began charging 25 fils to customers on Friday (July 1) for each plastic bag they used at checkout counters. The new rule—which was announced by the Dubai Executive Council last February 7—is effective from July 1. The fee applies to single-use plastic bags supplied in shops, restaurants, pharmacies and even online shops in Dubai and is part of a move to “limit single-use bags to enhance environmental sustainability”. Expatmedia.net visited several shops in Dubai on Friday and found that supermarkets like WestZone have posted notices to the public about the charge of 25 fils for each plastic bag used from the store. Many other retailers at malls, however, have resorted to providing customers with paper bags instead. In Abu Dhabi, the ban on plastic bags began on June 1 as part of efforts to reduce pollution and further limit the use of single-plastic products in the emirate. The ban excludes plastic bags designated for medicines in pharmacies, bag rolls for vegetables, meat, fish, chicken, grains and bread. This is in addition to exempting large shopping bags designed for fashion or electronic gadgets, toys, waste bags of different sizes and types, bags designated for keeping messages, postal parcels or magazines and newspapers. Also excluded are bags designated for transporting plants, flowers and laundry bags. ICA/Expat Media
For all the latest news from the UAE and the world, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube 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