DUBAI // Major supermarkets and grocery stores say they are well prepared to cope with the ban on the supply of non-biodegradable plastic bags that comes into force in the new year.
A number of shops are already using environmentally friendly biodegradable or reusable bags, in keeping with the Ministry of Environment and Water's initiative to move away from non-biodegradable plastic bags that was launched in 2009.
"This is the right step," said Fahmi Al Shawa, the managing director of Convenience Arabia, the franchise holder for the Circle K chain, which has 17 stores in the UAE.
"We are already using biodegradable bags in some stores and within the next one to two months we will shift completely to them," he said.
The Ministry of Environment has banned the import, manufacture and supply of non-biodegradable bags with effect from January 1, with the goal of completely eliminating the use of such bags by 2013.
Mr Al Shawa said banning the manufacture of the bags would make a big difference.
"To be honest, most supermarkets stock items on a short-term basis so there won't be an issue of thousands of plastics bags being used in supermarkets when they shouldn't be.
"We have been looking to introduce a number of alternative biodegradable bags and I don't see that we will experience any issues with them."
It is a similar story at the upmarket Waitrose chain, which has stores in The Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina Mall.
"We've been using oxo-biodegradable bags for the last two years and we also offer the reusable jute bags," a spokeswoman said.
She added the supermarket was confident of meeting the new regulations.
"Normal plastic bags take many hundreds of years to degrade, but the ones we have react with the oxygen in the air and decompose much faster."
LuLu supermarkets also use biodegradable and reusable bags. "We don't have jute bags but we have strong reusable ones; I'm not too sure what they are made of," said a member of staff at the LuLu Hypermarket in Barsha, who did not wish to be identified.
He said they had not been given information about when the old non-biodegradable plastic bags could no longer be used, but they had switched to environmentally friendly bags and the staff encouraged customers to use reusable bags.
The Ministry of Environment wants to phase out non-biodegradable plastic bags because of the damage they cause to the environment. The Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (Esma) is enforcing the changes, which already include not allowing shops to use their logos on non-biodegradable bags.
"There isn't a set deadline for supermarkets, but the beginning of 2013 is when there should be no more conventional plastic bags in use or in circulation," said Mohammed Badri, the acting director general for Esma.
"It follows that if these bags can no longer be made or supplied, then over the coming months only biodegradable bags will be used."
Esma will inspect manufacturers to make sure the oxo-biodegradable bags meet required standards. No plastic bags will be allowed to circulate unless they meet Esma's standards.
But not everyone is convinced that oxo-biodegradable bags are the way forward.
Nils El Accad, the general manager of the Organic Foods and Cafe in Dubai's The Greens neighbourhood, believes that even these bags will take too long to breakdown.
"I did notice they fall apart when left in the heat for a long time, but actually biodegrade?"
"I am not an expert, but it would be very worrying if they only disintegrate, so end up as plastic in a small format that we cannot see - that would, in effect, be worse.
He said the cafe used fully recycled paper bags and also offered customers reusable jute bags.
nhanif@thenational.ae
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2pm: Handicap Dh 90,000 1,800m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,950m; Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Classic Conditions Dh300,000 1,400m; Winner: Thegreatcollection, Adrie de Vries, Doug Watson.
4pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Oktalgano, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Conditions Dh250,000 1,400m; Winner: Madame Ellingtina, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Mystery Land, Fabrice Veron, Helal Al Alawi.
5.30pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,000m; Winner: Shanaghai City, Jesus Rosales, Rashed Bouresly.
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E153hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E200Nm%20at%204%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6.3L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh106%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
French Touch
Carla Bruni
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A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
WORLD RECORD FEES FOR GOALKEEPERS
1) Kepa Arrizabalaga, Athletic Bilbao to Chelsea (£72m)
2) Alisson, Roma to Liverpool (£67m)
3) Ederson, Benfica to Manchester City (£35m)
4) Gianluigi Buffon, Parma to Juventus (£33m)
5) Angelo Peruzzi, Inter Milan to Lazio (£15.7m
Wednesday's results
Finland 3-0 Armenia
Faroes Islands 1-0 Malta
Sweden 1-1 Spain
Gibraltar 2-3 Georgia
Romania 1-1 Norway
Greece 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy
Switzerland 2-0 Rep of Ireland
Israel 3-1 Latvia
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
(All games 4-3pm kick UAE time) Bayern Munich v Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz , Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Cologne v Schalke , Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart v Arminia Bielefeld
Zayed Sustainability Prize
If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)
Engine 5.2-litre V10
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch
Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm
Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm
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Emiratisation at work
Emiratisation was introduced in the UAE more than 10 years ago
It aims to boost the number of citizens in the workforce particularly in the private sector.
Growing the number of Emiratis in the workplace will help the UAE reduce dependence on overseas workers
The Cabinet in December last year, approved a national fund for Emirati jobseekers and guaranteed citizens working in the private sector a comparable pension
President Sheikh Khalifa has described Emiratisation as “a true measure for success”.
During the UAE’s 48th National Day, Sheikh Khalifa named education, entrepreneurship, Emiratisation and space travel among cornerstones of national development
More than 80 per cent of Emiratis work in the federal or local government as per 2017 statistics
The Emiratisation programme includes the creation of 20,000 new jobs for UAE citizens
UAE citizens will be given priority in managerial positions in the government sphere
The purpose is to raise the contribution of UAE nationals in the job market and create a diverse workforce of citizens
Britain's travel restrictions
- A negative test 2 days before flying
- Complete passenger locator form
- Book a post-arrival PCR test
- Double-vaccinated must self-isolate
- 11 countries on red list quarantine
