‘Pay as you throw,’ say campaigners as calls grow for supermarket bag fees
Campaign groups have urged the UAE government to take a tougher stance on plastic waste and to force supermarkets to charge for plastic bags.
The call was made at a panel discussion called Circular Economy: Bringing Waste Full Circle, held by Emirates Environmental Group at Modul University in Dubai yesterday.
Among the proposals was a law to enforce charges for plastic bag use at supermarket checkouts, and also a ban on straws and single-use coffee cups.
Sonya Benjamin, who works for Dubai energy consultancy AESG, said charging for supermarket bags had already
produced positive results with reduced plastic usage abroad.
“People may push back at the beginning, but like in other places, they’ll be OK with it when it is the norm,” Ms Benjamin said.
The National reported in June this year that Waitrose was introducing plastic bag charges on a trial, due to end next month. Supermarket chain Spinneys is also considering a charge.
Countries such as China and Kenya have already gone a step further by introducing complete bans on single-use plastic bags.
Ms Benjamin said supermarkets, restaurants and malls in the UAE could do much more to reduce plastic waste.
“Businesses could do away with single-use coffee cups and only provide reusable ones,” she said.
“Only providing straws on request is another way they can help with the environment.
“A couple of malls have already expressed an interest in having an area where people can return their recyclables and get a rebate on them.
“It would be good business for them too, as it will help bring more customers in.”
Some panel members also agreed that more substantial fees should be introduced for disposing of waste, particularly in landfill.
“Being held accountable in dirhams is the strongest incentive to be responsible,” Ms Benjamin said. “There should be a policy of pay as you throw.”
She denied suggestions that it was more environmentally friendly for restaurants to use single-use plastics so as to save on water use for washing up.
“Water can always be recycled but sooner or later we are going to run out of space to put all our plastic spoons and forks,” Ms Benjamin said.
Dr Sassan Khatib-Shahidi, chief executive of German Imaging Technologies Dubai, went one step further, insisting companies should not be allowed to use landfills.
He said more companies would pay attention to improving their recycling if it was in their financial interest.
Attitudes would soon change if you were made to be responsible for what you were disposing of and had to pay for it DR SASSAN KHATIB-SHAHIDI German Imaging Technologies Dubai
“There is no reason why a product of any kind should have to be sent to a landfill when it can be recycled,” said Dr Khatib-Shahidi, whose company recycles printer toner cartridges.
“If it became more expensive to dispose of cartridges than recycling them, for example, you’d straight away find significantly fewer ended up in landfills.
“Attitudes would soon change if you were made to be responsible for what you were disposing of and had to pay for it.”
Habiba Al Marashi, chair of the debate, said the Emirates Environmental Group wanted to increase awareness of green issues and to foster improved communication between producers and users.
Ms Al Marashi said she was disappointed that the introduction of new landfill fees in Dubai had been postponed.
The scheme, which was announced this year, was delayed after a number of waste transport companies objected, claiming they would have to pass on the costs to customers.
“Achieving economic growth and sustainable development requires that we urgently reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume,” Ms Al Marashi said.
“We need to make people pay more to dispose of items, to encourage them to recycle instead.”