The Department of Municipality and Planning in Ajman said that it will be giving shopping centers and retail outlets a grace period of three months to start enforcing the ban on single-use plastic bags and using eco-friendly bags.
Recently, the government announced the banning of the usage of single-use plastic bags starting January 2024.
According to the Executive Director of the Department’s Public Health and Environment Sector Eng. Khaled Moeen Al Hosani, all the implementation of its plans, projects, and initiatives are to protect the environment and promote sustainability.
Additionally, it highlighted that plastic bags pose a substantial threat to the environment, posing a real threat to all living beings.
“At present, the UAE is seeing the development of many eco-friendly substitutes that can be utilized when shopping, emphasizing the shift towards guaranteeing a steady decrease in the manufacturing and use of plastic bags and plastic products,” Eng. Al Hosani said.
“This is to control the utilization of plastic products and single-use bags, as well as reduce plastic waste that is detrimental to the environment. Doing so contributes to enhancing sustainability”, he added.
This ban on single-use plastic bags complies with Ministerial Resolution No. 380 of 2022 as well as Federal Law No. 2 of 2018 on Integrated Waste Management.
It is also a part of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change’s initiative to make the United Arab Emirates (UAE) plastic-free.
