Dubai says no to plastic: Annual usage is 2.9m bags

The Waste Management Department of Dubai Municipality has launched a six-month long awareness campaign under the title ‘Say No to Plastic Bags’, along with a number of its branches in Dubai.

The campaign aimed at educating the public on the ways of reducing plastic bags usage and its waste.

According to figures released by the campaign annual consumption of plastic bags in Dubai is 2.9 billion bags.

The campaign is organised to implement the directives of the Ministry of Environment and Water to diminish the use of all type of plastic bags used by the public especially the plastic bags distributed by shopping centers to carry shopped materials, as well as to completely stop  non-biodegradable plastic products, which causes unsolvable damages to both health and environment.

Salah Amiri, Assistant Director General of Dubai Municipality said a variety of programmes have been organised throughout the campaign to educate the public about the hazardous consequences of increased use of plastic bags.

Awareness programmes will be conducted in collaboration with cooperative societies, well known shopping malls and centers all over the emirate of Dubai.

“All channels of communication will be utilised to convey the importance of message to each member of society helping to save the life of a lot of animals such as camels in deserts, turtles and fishes in sea as well as other precious marine wealth like coral cliffs,” Amiri said.

During the inaugural ceremony, thousands of alternative reusable and recyclable bags were distributed in each cooperative societies along with a leaflet which includes the methods of reducing plastic bag wastes and its risks related to health, environment and marine and animal wealth.

Abdul Majeed Saifaie, Director of Waste Management Department said the plastic bag waste is considered one of the main sources of environment pollution.

Hence, the effective community contribution is essential for success of the efforts of authorities.

“Programmes will be conducted every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 9pm in almost all shopping malls and centers of the emirate of Dubai throughout the six month period ahead to educate the public about the consequences of increased plastic usage and encourage them to use alternative ways,” Saifaie said.

“The civic body officials will also visit the plastic bags manufacturing companies in the emirate and ensure that all types of bags are recyclable and biodegradable,” he added.

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