Photo for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

Single-use plastic bags are banned in Abu Dhabi starting on Wednesday (June 1). Retail outlets will also charge customers a minimum fee of 50 fils for alternative multi-use shopping bags such as jute bags, biodegradable bags, newspaper bags, recycled paper bags, cloth bags, and starch-based bags. The banned single-use bags are identified to be less than 50 microns thick and will soon be replaced by thicker bags that can be used four to 10 times more. Exemptions to the said ban are waste bags, bags for flowers, plants, and grain, mail bags, bags of vegetables, fruits, meat, chicken, and fish, and bags used in laundries and pharmacies. The movement was made in line with the policy launched by the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi in 2020 and was supported by several main retail outlets in Abu Dhabi namely, Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society, SPAR, Carrefour, Lulu Hypermarket, Choithrams, Spinneys, and Waitrose. The World Government Summit 2019 has also reported of UAE’s consummation of 11 billion plastic bags annually or equivalent to 1,184 bags per capita compared to a global average of 307 bags. Shoppers in Abu Dhabi are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags to save money and to aid the environment. KSO/Expat Media
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