Each Person in Abu Dhabi Uses 1,184 Plastics Bags a Year – by 2021 It Will Be 0

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, is planning to ban disposable plastic bags by 2021, according to officials, to improve its environmental policies and progressively rid of all single-use plastics in a first-of-its-kind move for the nation.

The equivalent of around 1,184 plastic bags a person is used per year in the nation, compared to a global annual rate of 307 a person. The initiative, part of a program called Ghadan21, aims to diminish the use of such plastics and other disposable items, starting with implementing new rules and fees for their usage.

“The launch of the single-use plastics policy reflects our commitment to a more sustainable economy that seeks to minimize waste and protect vital ecosystems in our environment,” says Dr Shaikha Al Dhaheri, secretary general of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi. “By implementing this new policy, Abu Dhabi will be joining more than 127 countries that have already taken measures to ban or limit the use of disposable plastic materials.”

In response to residents’ growing environmental awareness, a few retailers have already begun to charge for using plastic bags, which has shown to significantly reduce the number of bags used.