The Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai has introduced the move to enhance environmental sustainability.

In the wake of plastic pollution and increasing environmental hazards, single-use plastic bags will be chargeable in Dubai. Starting July 1, 2020, the plastic bags will cost 25fils per bag at the checkout counters in all stores.

Effecting from July, all stores operating in Dubai including restaurants, pharmacies, and e-commerce deliveries, a tariff of 25fils will be charged.

The Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai has introduced the move 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.

Along with the announcement, the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai also shared some staggering facts about plastics stating that it takes 400 years for plastic bags to decompose, and another thousand years to diminish their negative environmental impact.

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

According to statistics 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.