Start looking around for any tote bags you have lying around at home…

Single-use plastic bags will soon cost you 25fils per bag at the checkout counters in all stores from July 1, 2022 onwards.

The move according to the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai is to enhance environmental sustainability. 

According to an official tweet, the tariff will be in place for two years starting July 1, 2022 which will eventually lead to a complete ban in two years time.

You will be charged per bag at the checkout in all stores spanning restaurants, pharmacies and even, e-commerce deliveries.

The Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai 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.

Around the UAE

Abu Dhabi also announced its plan to ban plastic bags at the start of this year, which came into effect last month.

According to stats by The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, the UAE is currently getting through 11 billion plastic bags each year, that’s more than a thousand for every inhabitant, and roughly three times the global average.

The plastic fact sheet on Earthday.org ominously states that ‘virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some shape or form’. It circulates in our ecosystems, marinating in our oceans and in addition to being harmful to turtles, it can also potentially pose catastrophic health hazards to humans too.

Images: Getty Images