Hala Al Khayyat (Abu Dhabi)
The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi continues to implement the policy of controlling the use of single-use plastics, by implementing awareness campaigns targeting small stores and grocery stores to avoid the use of single-use plastic bags, and to switch to multi-use alternatives.
This step comes after the implementation of the decision to ban single-use plastic bags in major retail outlets in the emirate at the beginning of last June, to complete during the next stage awareness in the grocery sector and large retail outlets, in order to achieve the goal “together towards zero”. The authority confirmed that it is continuing to implement inspection campaigns at sales outlets to ensure the implementation of the ban, and the use of approved alternatives, calling for avoiding the use of plastic bags in total because of its damage to the environment, and choosing a sustainable lifestyle to help protect the environment and its land and sea diversity.
The authority explained that the aim of the awareness campaigns targeting groceries is to change behavior by reducing the consumption of single-use plastic bags, avoiding the use of bags in general for small purchases, and using multi-use bags in the shopping trip. The authority is currently working on developing measures to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic materials, and raise the efficiency of consumption of about 16 single-use plastic products. The authority is heading towards phasing out single-use Styrofoam cups, plates and food containers by 2024.
plastic quantity
The amount of single-use plastic constitutes 36% of the total global production of plastic, which is about 400 million tons annually, while in the UAE, for example, 11 billion plastic bags are consumed annually (according to a report presented at the World Government Summit in February 2019, equivalent to 1182 One plastic bag annually at the individual level, and this is a very high rate compared to the global average of 307 bags per person annually.
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