Abu Dhabi Will Ban Single-Use Plastic By 2021
The UAE currently uses eleven billion plastic bags annually
Every day approximately eight million pieces of plastic end up in the ocean, resulting in the death of 100,000 marine mammals and one million sea birds per year. Society has started to take notice of the damage plastic is doing to our planet and is making moves towards protecting it, and Abu Dhabi is the latest city to join the list of eco-warriors.
.@EADTweets launched a progressive policy to reduce consumption of single-use plastics in the emirate. The policy will ban single-use plastic bags, encourage using reusable bags, and introduce a levy on plastics with sustainable alternatives pic.twitter.com/aOGj0bNyYD
— Abu Dhabi Government Media Office (@admediaoffice) March 9, 2020
Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi aims to reduce the use of non-sustainable plastic in Abu Dhabi by banning all single-use items – including bags, bottles and cutlery – by next year. It is a necessary step considering the UAE’s consumption of plastic bags is three times the global average.
The policy aims to declare #AbuDhabi free of single-use plastics and non-plastics, and the emirate free of single-use plastic bags by 2021, helping to reduce the UAE’s consumption of 11bn plastic bags annually, 1,184 bags per person – over 3 times the global average
— Abu Dhabi Government Media Office (@admediaoffice) March 9, 2020
As part of Ghadan 21 – the Abu Dhabi Government’s sustainability programme – the initiative will promote the use of reusable bags and sustainable alternatives as they work to phase out single-use plastics entirely. Those who decide to use plastic rather than eco-friendly alternatives will be fined.
Images courtesy of Dustan Woodhouse at Unplash and Twitter/admediaoffice