Dubai shops to charge 25 fils on each single-use plastic bag starting July 1

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Dubai Municipality revealed that a tariff of 25 fils will be imposed on single-use plastic bags as of July 1, 2022, and their use will be completely banned within two years.

The municipality said that all stores must apply a tariff of 25 fils for each single-use bag, and a different tariff can be placed on sustainable (reusable) alternatives if they are provided by the store.

The municipality pointed out that the tariff will be applied on all single-use bags used to be filled with goods at the point of purchase according to special specifications.

It also clarified that the tariff is mandatory for all stores that use single-use bags to fill in goods, and bags of another type can be provided as an alternative to plastic bags, but the tariff will be applied to alternatives if the specifications match single-use bags. 

The photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

The tariff is applied on all single-use bags of goods, including paper bags with a thickness of less than 57 micrometres, and stores are not obligated to provide free alternatives as the goal is to bring about a change in consumer’s  behaviour in order to preserve the environment, the municipality said.

It stated that it had set a deadline of four months for the application of the tariff, and then two years to ban the use of single-use bags, while as the prohibited goods will be determined at a later time.

The price of plastic bags can be added to the bill as any other commodity which is registered at the time of purchase, and the tariff is not calculated in the event the consumer brings his own bags.

We recommend that workers at payment points be trained to rationalise the use of bags when packing and handing over purchases.”, the Municipality indicated.

The municipality pointed out that single-use bags take 400 years to decompose and thousands of years to reduce their negative effects.
It is worth mentioning that a local study found that about 86% of sea turtles which were found dead on the beaches of some emirates in the UAE had consumed plastic materials, thinking they were jellyfish.

Plastic bags may also cause blockage of the digestive tracts and the death of some animals, such as camels, goats and deer.

A study by the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency found that 50% of the dead camels had consumed plastic materials.