Abu Dhabi has reduced the daily use of single-use plastic bags by more than half a million

More than 500,000 fewer single-use plastic bags were used daily in Abu Dhabi over the course of the previous year. Additionally, 30 million plastic water bottles were collected for recycling.

These were some of the most significant initiatives that the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi (EAD), the emirate's environmental sector regulator, implemented in 2022, and they are now covered in depth in the EAD's recently released annual report for the year.

The most obvious change, which requires residents to adapt their way of life, is the ban on the use of single-use plastics.

"The year 2022 was yet another year full of achievements and successes by EAD, as we launched and implemented several projects and programmes that reinforced Abu Dhabi's pioneering role in preserving the environment at the local, regional, and global levels -- in line with the UAE's ambitious vision for sustainable development, and building on its significant successes that continue to resonate around the world," said Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, EAD secretary general.

The introduction of our Single-Use Plastic Policy, which includes a ban on the use of single-use plastic bags in Abu Dhabi, was one of the most significant undertakings of the previous 12 months. Major retail chains supported the idea and supplied the resources needed to make it successful by partnering with it. We were able to minimise the number of plastic bags used each day by more than half a million thanks to this project. We plan to enforce a nationwide ban on all single-use plastic bags by 2024 in accordance with the UAE government's objective, she continued.

Consumers have switched to sustainable and reusable bags in order to lessen their environmental impact, according to the EAD, after Abu Dhabi's ban on single-use plastic bags went into effect on June 1, 2022. Data gathered from EAD's retail partners revealed that since the ban's implementation, the number of single-use plastic shopping bags has decreased by more than 90%. The ban, which is a component of the Abu Dhabi Single-Use Plastic Policy, was implemented in close collaboration with the city's largest retailers.

In accordance with the Policy, 30 million plastic bottles were recovered in 2022, up from 7.25 million in 2021. Currently, more than 850,000 bottles are collected for recycling every week.

Through a public relations campaign called "Mission to Zero," EAD created an aspirational, long-term goal to achieve zero single-use plastic consumption, zero waste production, zero carbon emissions, and zero biodiversity effect. This was done to support the single-use plastic policy. The campaign consisted of a number of physical and online activations geared towards the community at large, as well as stores, restaurants, government agencies, and young people in particular.