The city of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, has announced plans to ban single-use plastic (SUP) bags from June 2022 onward. The move is part of UAE’s plan to enhance sustainable living in Abu Dhabi, according to the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency (EAD; www.ead.gov.ae/en), which is also planning to “reduce demand” for 16 other SUP products, including cups, stirrers, lids, and cutlery.

The ban is an extension of EAD’s single-use plastic policy, introduced in 2020. By 2024, Abu Dhabi also plans to phase out disposable styrofoam cups, plates and food containers. The host of United Nations Climate Summit 2023, UAE has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050.

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In order to make sure the ban gets implemented in June, city authorities plan to organise large-scale awareness campaigns to educate the public on the new procedures. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, secretary general of EAD, said, “As part of our plan to completely curb the use of single-use plastics, we are encouraging Abu Dhabi citizens to use more multipurpose and re-usable materials to reduce their environmental footprint.”