Dubai: Retailers in the UAE stepped up efforts on Tuesday to help stem plastic shopping bag waste from harming the environment as the world observed International Plastic Bag Free Day.
Across the country at 10 Enoc petrol stations, for example, Zoom convenience stores stopped handing out plastic bags for the day to remind customers of the importance of plastic waste that is killing the world’s oceans.
The company said in a statement that Zoom “stopped the use of plastic bags for one day across its outlets in the UAE in recognition of International Plastic Bag Free Day”.
duration that plastic bags are used on average globally
“Currently, 10 Zoom stores are plastic bag-free, using paper bag alternatives, with plans to eliminate using plastic bags across all stores in the near future. In 2018, Zoom will also introduce canvas bags as part of its efforts to eliminate plastic,” the company said.
Officials at Waitrose grocery stores, meanwhile, reported on Tuesday that their latest plastic bag campaign at five outlets in Abu Dhabi was bearing fruit.
The food chain started charging 25 fils per plastic bag on June 16 at five locations and the plastic bag requests have plummeted, the company said.
The effort follows similar efforts by grocery firms in recent years such as Choithrams in Dubai to limit plastic bag use at its stores.
In a statement, Waitrose said that “two weeks into the trial across five Abu Dhabi stores (Waitrose Etihad Towers, Waitrose Sun and Sky Reem Island, Waitrose Al Zeina, Waitrose Saadiyat Beach Community and Waitrose Eastern Mangroves), the [stores] reported a 74 per cent reduction in the single-use of plastic bags, with over 5,728 people purchasing a reusable plastic bag in the past fortnight. Comparing the data annually, the supermarket sold only 60 reusable bags, in the same period last year.”
Majid Al Futtaim, owner of Carrefour stores, said on Tuesday it is offering eco-friendly bags as an alternative to plastic.
time it takes for plastic bags to disintegrate. It can go up to 500 years
“Shoppers at 28 Carrefour hypermarkets throughout the UAE and select supermarkets can avail of a two-for-one offer on reusable eco-bags. Priced at Dh2.75, the bags come with a lifetime guarantee and will be replaced free-of-charge at the customer’s request,” the company said. “To help customers get into the habit of bringing their eco-bags with them on every grocery trip, Carrefour will be introducing a dedicated “Green Checkout” counter as a pilot project in hypermarkets located in City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Me’aisem, City Centre Deira and Mall of the Emirates with more branches expected to follow suit by the end of 2018.”
Local initiatives such as banning plastic bags for the day on Tuesday was music to the ears of organisers of the global plastic bag-free awareness day.
Plastic bags “take 100s of years to degrade and they not only pollute the environment but actually directly harm many living organisms,” said organisers. “It doesn’t make sense to produce something that lasts hundreds of years when it is going to be used for a few minutes. It is a contradiction that in a throwaway society nothing good lasts whilst bad products are forever.”
Fast facts
■ On average, plastic bags are used for 25 minutes!
■ It takes between 100-500 years for a plastic bag to disintegrate (depending on the type of plastic)
Source: www.plasticbagfreeday.org
