Abu Dhabi retail chain introduces safe biodegradable plastic bags

Abu Dhabi: About 1.3 tonnes of plastic bags will not be dumped in Abu Dhabi everyday from Monday thanks to the green initiative of a retail chain.

About 10 outlets of the Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society (Adcoops), which uses about 35 to 40 tonnes of plastic bags a month, will start using environment-friendly shopping bags from today, a senior official told Gulf News.

George Mojica, General Manager of Adcoops, said Adcoops is extending its support to Gulf News' 'Go Green' campaign by introducing oxo-biodegradable bags, which disintegrate within eight to 10 weeks if exposed to the sun or mechanical stress.

Other biodegradable bags take at least 18 months to disintegrate. Oxo-biodegradable bags don't leave behind harmful residues and complete the cycle of resource utilisation and return the intractable plastics to their natural origin.

Although the biodegradable bags are 20 to 25 per cent costlier than ordinary plastic bags, the cost will never be transferred to consumers, he said.

Social responsibility

"It is a gift to our consumers as part of our social responsibility, to take a strong step on the issue, so that others in the industry may follow suit," said Mojica.

"In spite of the additional overhead costs, we are making a conscious change for a worthy cause," said Faisal Al Arshi, deputy general manager of Adcoops.

'Foldable and reusable'

People can soon keep shopping bags in their pockets. "We will introduce foldable reusable plastic bags, which will be user friendly," George Mojica, General Manager of Adcoops, told Gulf News.

"We are designing beautiful bags that will prompt customers to avoid ordinary plastic bags.

"We received good response to our reusable plastic bags priced Dh2, introduced a couple of months ago," he said.