UAE | Environment

Geant initiative: A few fils a day help save animals

Geant hypermarkets' initiative to pass on proceeds totalling Dh150,000 from plastic bag sales to Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS) was met with enthusiasm by Gulf News readers.

  • By Sanya Nayeem, Community Journalist
  • Published: 00:08 May 18, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Geant hypermarkets sell jute bags and charge customers 25 fils per plastic bag.
  • Image Credit: Karl Jeffs/Gulf News

Dubai: Geant hypermarkets' initiative to pass on proceeds totalling Dh150,000 from plastic bag sales to Emirates Wildlife Society (EWS) was met with enthusiasm by Gulf News readers.

The retailer is charging customers 25 fils per plastic bag. Several residents felt the initiative to donate the proceeds to EWS served a worthy cause.

Indian expatriate Mahima Singh said: "As customers, we would like to be informed about where our money is going. In Geant's case, it is fantastic that it is being used to protect the environment."

Indian student Amol Vir said other retailers should work to follow Geant's example, as offering financial support to environmental organisations would "encourage environmentalists and the public to make the world a better place".

Additionally, the minimal charge for plastic bags compels shoppers to switch to alternatives. The fact that people still continue to use plastic bags indiscriminately is cause for concern for Pakistani expatriate Nasar Usmani.

He said: "It is great that Geant has control over usage of its plastic bags, but this practice needs to be extended to small grocery stores as well."

He added that the unsightly appearance of plastic bags on some of the UAE's roads and trees showed that "there is still a lot to be done to put an end to the plastic menace."

However, while most welcome the drive against plastic bags, the cost of 25 fils per plastic bag was still a matter of concern for some shoppers.

Dubai resident Miessa Abdul Wahid considered it to be an unnecessary expense. She said: "Although I own jute bags, I often forget to carry them with me when I'm out shopping. I do not understand why we are being charged for plastic bags."

Indian resident P.K. Ashok agreed and said he felt the ideal solution would be "to ban plastic bags altogether".

He added: "People would then start looking for alternatives on their own."

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