Single-use plastic bags will become a thing of the past in Abu Dhabi by the end of 2022. Photo: PA
Single-use plastic bags will become a thing of the past in Abu Dhabi by the end of 2022. Photo: PA
Single-use plastic bags will become a thing of the past in Abu Dhabi by the end of 2022. Photo: PA
Single-use plastic bags will become a thing of the past in Abu Dhabi by the end of 2022. Photo: PA

Single-use plastic bags could be banned in Abu Dhabi by end of 2022


Patrick Ryan
  • English
  • Arabic

Single-use plastic bags could be banned in Abu Dhabi by the end of the year, according to a senior figure from the emirate’s environment agency.

The move had been expected to come into effect in 2020 but was put on hold by Covid-19.

Monir Bou Ghanem, senior adviser to the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, said there were 15 to 16 items that would be targeted by the new scheme. These include plastic straws and disposable plates and cutlery, all commonly used in takeaway meals.

He said an incentive-based bottle return scheme would also be introduced in the capital when the new rules come into effect, which he expected to happen before the end of 2022.

“We are at the final stages of developing the regulations and are in close contact with the private sector,” he said, speaking on radio station Dubai Eye.

“Single-use plastic bags are going to be completely banned and replaced by multiple-use bags.”

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How and where to recycle in the Emirates

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Globally, almost 300 million tonnes of plastic pollution are produced each year, the equivalent weight of the human race, according to figures released by the UN Environment Programme.

Only nine per cent of all plastic ever produced has been recycled, with the rest ending up in landfills, dumps or the natural environment.

The UN estimated if current trends continue, the ocean could contain more plastic than fish by the year 2050.

Mr Bou Ghanem said while the threat posed by the pandemic had not receded, fears that multi-use bags could increase the risk of infection had been disproved.

“Scientific evidence shows there is no link between the use of single-use plastic and (improved) safety from Covid-19,” he said.

People also needed to make sure they safely disposed of the face masks they are using to keep themselves safe in the pandemic, he added.

“The value of the mask is very important but the concern is many of them end up in the environment,” said Mr Bou Ghanem.

“You need to ensure these products end up in a proper bin or waste disposal facility wherever you are.”

Face masks also pose a threat to animals because they can choke on them or suffer problems if the masks are eaten. Masks can also damage plant life.

As well as the short and medium-term effects on spreading Covid, damaging infrastructure, and animals who eat the waste, there is a long-term problem that discarded masks can help transmit pollutants as well as micro plastics that enter the food chain.

Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?

Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
 

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Power: 575bhp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: Dh554,000

On sale: now

Updated: January 12, 2022, 4:36 PM`