Disposable phone chargers are now banned over environmental concerns

The environment should always trump convenience

You’ve probably seen them in petrol stations and mall kiosks throughout the city – small plastic pouches with the words ‘Power Patch’ or ‘Pwrpck’ adorning their colourful packaging.

Contained within, a disposable battery designed as a one-and-done method of giving your smartphone a quick jolt of power in an emergency.

While in theory the concept might be useful – we’ve all been stuck in situations where we’d do anything to eek another ten percent of juice out of our phones – it was announced yesterday by Dubai Municipality that the devices are now banned across Dubai, effective immediately.

Citing that the overall environmental risks posed by their disposable nature far outweighs any convenience they might provide, Redha Salman, director of Dubai Municipality’s health and safety department noted that “They are also increasing the quantity of electronic waste included in general waste, which constitutes an environmental burden,”

He then went on to add that aside from the danger to the environment, the short lifespan of each charger meant they were a bad financial proposition for customers in the long run.

We hate a flat battery as much as the next Snapchat addict, but if this is going to help to keep the city cleaner and greener, then we’re all for it.

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