'Plastic Free July' Campaign Achieves Substantial Reduction in Plastic Footprint

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): At half-way mark, the Plastic Free July Campaign has led to notable reduction in single-use plastics by the UAE residents. Several business entities and government departments have announced various initiatives to reduce plastic footprint by curtailing the use of single-use plastics.

Waitrose started charging 25 fils per bag for single-use plastic bags across its five store locations in Abudhabi. The three-month trial program which will run until September this year has already started to yield positive results. The supermarket chain has reported 74% reduction in plastic use. The one bag per transaction scheme introduced by another supermarket chain Spinneys too has accounted for 40% reduction in plastic usage.

Meantime, Lulu Group launched campaigns aimed at promoting the use of eco-friendly bags. During one such campaign, the supermarket chain distributed 500 free reusable bags and 6,000 eco-friendly reusable bags at a cost, as part of promoting reduction of plastic bag usage. Al Maya Group too announced that it will focus on educating consumers on reducing the use of plastic bags, by bringing their own reusable bags for shopping.

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Restaurants and hotels too have joined the efforts to urge people look for alternatives to single-use plastics. The India Palace Restaurants (IPR) chain has decided not to provide guests with plastic cutlery and plastic straws to guests unless asked for. They also plan to replace single-use cutlery with permanent ones. An upcoming hotel has announced that it will provide reusable bottle upon check in and install water stations in key locations within the hotel, in order to reduce the use of throwaway plastic bottles.

The government has led from the front by inaugurating new recyclable collection station where residents can dispose of waste in designated chutes. It plans to install 16 similar recyclable collection centers across Abu Dhabi before the end of this year.