From July 1, 2022, shoppers will be charged per bag…

Earlier in the year, it was announced that Dubai would introduce a ‘green tariff’ from July 1, 2022. This meant that single-use plastic bags would each cost 25fils if you wanted to use them for your shopping. However, Dubai Municipality has now clarified that the rule applies to single-use bags of all materials, not just plastic.

According to The National, the mandatory tariff will be applied to all single-use bags which could be made of plastic, paper, biodegradable plastic and plant-based biodegradable materials; anything with a thickness of 57 micrometres (one thousandth of a millimetre).

Retailers will be given four months to implement the charge, and offer reusable alternatives if they wish. However Dubai has set out plans to completely ban single use plastic after two years. Abu Dhabi will put a ban in place from June 2022.

Dubai Municipality said that paper bags were deserving of the fee because “the production…is also harmful to the environment and leads to the cutting of a large number of trees and consumes great resources and energy”.

The Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai previously put out some startling facts stating that it takes 400 years for plastic bags to decompose. Another thousand years is needed to mitigate their negative environmental impact.

The council also pointed out that here in the emirates, plastic bags were the cause of the death of 86 per cent of turtles and 50 per cent of camels.

Image: Getty