Dubai: Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water, commended Gulf News's initiative to decrease usage of plastic bags and encourage use of recyclable bags such as jute totes.
"We highly appreciate the initiative by the UAE's leading newspaper, Gulf News, to distribute free jute bags to its dedicated readers. It is a sign of the newspaper's commitment to the environment and society," Dr Bin Fahd said.
He added the initiative also shows that civil society organisations and the media are concerned about the environmental damage inflicted by the usage of huge amount of plastic bags made from hydrocarbons, which last for ages.
The 'lasting for ages' is proving to be a major environmental and health problem. Another problem is that traditional plastics are manufactured from non-renewable resources – oil, coal and natural gas - and put huge pressure on the UAE municipalities when handling this huge amount of waste.
Dr Bin Fahd said in view of these facts, the government has drawn a strategy, including an integrated system for waste management, particularly plastics.
"The Ministry of Environment and Water has started working out an initiative to gradually decrease production and use of plastic bags, which will be launched from the beginning of next year," he said.
The minister added the media will have a vital role to make the initiative a success. "Manufacturers will also have the opportunity to gradually turn to alternatives such as biodegradable and recyclable bags. For their part, members of the public will be encouraged to use biodegradable and paper bags or pay fees."
This initiative, he said, may not succeed without creating awareness and disseminating of best practices.
"Gulf News's Go Green campaign is part of this commendable effort and we appeal to other private organisations and media to follow suit as part of their social responsibility," Dr Bin Fahd said.
He urged non-governmental organisations to contribute to these initiatives to conserve the environment and protect the health of our beloved homeland.
