As previously stated, Dubai will begin charging 25 fils for single-use plastic bags from July 1, with the goal of eliminating them entirely in two years.
The decision was made “to limit single-use bags to boost environmental sustainability,” according to a tweet from the Dubai Executive Council. Over 30 nations have imposed a tariff on single-use bags, while more than 90 countries have enforced a partial or full ban.
The tariff, which is compulsory for all the shops and markets, can be easily avoided by the customers who carry their own reusable bags. And if any person is being charged for these single-use plastic bags then, the imposed charges will be added directly to the invoice of the buyer’s purchased items invoice like any other purchased items.
The Dubai Municipality provided a complete outline and clarifications on the plastic bag prohibition on Friday:
Scope of the decision
The charge will be imposed at the time of sale of all single-use bags utilized to transport products that meet specific criteria: Bags composed of plastic, paper, biodegradable plastic, and plant-based biodegradable materials are all below 57 micrometers thickness.
Applicability of tariffs
Alternative bags, on the other hand, have a greater environmental imprint than plastic bags, but are simpler to dispose of and inflict lesser health and environmental damage if used appropriately.
Paper bags, for example, are hazardous to the environment since they involve the felling of vast numbers of woods and the consumption of significant resources and energy, and so their usage necessitates payment of the imposed fees. In the manufacturing stage, single-use plastic sacks have a smaller environmental impact than paper bags, but their real damage arises at disposal. To have a lesser effect on the environment of non-recyclable plastic bags that transport goods, we must employ paper bags at least three to seven times.
Advantages of enforcing tax on single-use bags
Disposable shopping bags contribute significantly to waste and pollution of your surroundings. These bags take a long time to degrade and can only be utilized one or twice before being discarded. The majority are only used once to move things from the market to the household.
Single-use bags, for instance, require 400 years to breakdown and centuries and centuries to minimize their adverse affects. According to a regional official investigation, roughly 86 percent of sea turtles discovered lifeless on the shores of several emirates in the country having mistakenly eaten plastic materials like jellyfish. Certain mammals, such as camels, goats, and deer, may die as a direct result of these sacks blocking their intestinal tracts. According to a study conducted by the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency, 50% of the dead camels had swallowed plastics.
Other important points of this new legislation
- All retailers must charge a 25-fils fee for every single-use bag, with a variable fee applied if the store provides ecological (reusable) equivalents.
- The charge extends to each of these single-use bags for carriage of goods, even paper bags with a width of less than 57 micrometers, and businesses are not required to give free alternatives because the purpose is to encourage consumers to modify their habits in order to reduce pollution.
- The tax will be applied for four months before the use of single-use bags is prohibited for two years. The things that are restricted will be established at a later date.
- Although there is no limit on the numbers of bag sold to a single customer, it is suggested that personnel at checkout points be instructed to reduce the usage of bags when wrapping and going to deliver items.
- The private sector owns the transfer of revenue, which should be provided to promote sustainable activities through the company or local socio – economic and environmental organizations.
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