Abu Dhabi plastic bag usage drops by 364M since single-use plastic ban
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Abu Dhabi’s Environment Agency (EAD) announced on Monday a major milestone in its sustainability efforts, revealing that the emirate has reduced plastic bag consumption by 364 million bags since implementing a ban on single-use plastics over two years ago.
In a statement, the EAD highlighted the broader impact of the policy, saying, "This is the equivalent of 2,400 tonnes of plastic, or 547,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHGs), equating to 130,000 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles being driven for one year".
In addition to cutting back on plastic bags, over 130 million plastic bottles have been recovered. The initiative has also driven a significant behavioral shift among consumers.
"Prior to the policy’s implementation, shoppers used three bags per shopping trip, but now only use 0.4 bags. This has also led to a 2,000 per cent increase in the number of reusable bags in just one year, increasing from 603 bags in 2022 to 26,075 bags in 2023 at one of the emirate’s main outlets", said Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, Secretary General of EAD.
The positive impact of the policy has resonated with the public.
"The results of a survey we conducted indicated that 84 per cent of the public are aware of the policy and its requirements, and 82 per cent said that the policy has a positive impact on quality of life, represented by clean beaches and waterways", Dr. Al Dhaheri added.
Looking ahead, the EAD expects the policy to result in a total reduction of over 400 million single-use plastic bags by the end of 2024. The past nine months alone have seen a drop of 121.5 million bags. Additionally, the Agency forecasts that 90 million single-use plastic bottles will be collected by year-end.
Complementing the ban on single-use plastics, EAD also imposed restrictions on certain Styrofoam products starting June 1. Compliance with this new policy has already reached 97 percent among retailers.
The Agency predicts that compliance will further improve as the emirate prepares for the Federal ban on targeted Styrofoam and plastic products, set to take effect in 2026.