Dubai: Supermarket chains in UAE are stepping up the drive to reduce plastic pollution by charging consumers for every single shopping bag that goes through the counter.
Starting this week, at least five of Waitrose’s stores in Abu Dhabi are collecting a fee for grocery bags, as part of a 12-week trial.
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The retailer has confirmed that from June 16 to September 8, shoppers at Waitrose Etihad Towers, Waitrose Sun and Sky Reem Island, Waitrose Al Zeina, Waitrose Saadiyat Beach Community and Waitrose Eastern Mangroves will have to pay a carrier bag charge of 24 fils for all single-use plastic bags.
Another grocery operator, Spinneys, which has a number of outlets across the UAE has said that it is planning to implement the carrier bag charge. However, other retailers contacted by Gulf News, including LuLu Hypermarket, have yet to confirm if they’re also considering the same programme.
Waitrose’s campaign is intended to promote zero-waste shopping or ditch the plastic bag habit in a country that consumes 11 billion bags annually.
Each year, tonnes of plastic debris, including shopping bags, end up in the oceans and endanger marine life.
This plastic waste results in an estimated $13 billion a year in losses from damage to marine ecosystems, including financial losses to local governments as well as time spent cleaning beaches, according to the Worldwatch Institute.
According to Matt Frost, chief executive of Fine Far Food Market, the introduction of the carrier bag charge at Waitrose is just one of the steps they have taken to help consumers make positive changes in their behavior.
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Waitrose is also rolling out a programme called “in-store bag exchange,” which will hopefully encourage shoppers to bring their used bags and deposit at the store for other shoppers to use. That way, customers who don’t have bags with them don’t have to buy one.
“This is just the start. We want to help our customers market small shifts in their behavior to eventually lead to positive habits and help the community redefine its relationship with avoidable plastics,” Frost told Gulf News.
Frost noted that the public is becoming increasingly more aware of plastic pollution and that a combination of small steps can have significant impact.
“We want to be at the forefront of leading positive change across the retail industry and the introduction of the carrier bag charge and our brand new in-store plastic bag exchange are just two ways we are supporting our customers in reducing their disposable plastic usage.”
Rather than charge customers for plastic in order to reduce usage, other smaller UAE retailers such as Organic Foods and Ripe Market have already eliminated plastic bags at the counter. Shoppers are instead provided with the option to wrap store-bought goods in paper bags.
At big grocery chains such as Carrefour and Union Coop, as well as Choithrams, shoppers can use biodegradable bags for free. Customers at Carrefour can also opt for a re-usable eco-bag for a minimum fee.
