UAE recently declared a ban on the use of single-use plastic in June 2022 to decrease pollution and to encourage people to switch to reusable options. Following the UAE, Dubai also imposed a tax of 25 fils on single-use plastic bags in July with a two-year ban on such bags. 

Kavan Choksi- years of planning have been behind this legislation 

Business and finance expert Kavan Choksi reveals that several years of planning have been behind the passing of this legislation in the region. A team at the Emirates Nature WWF has been helping retailers and corporations for the last six years with the Rethink Plastic Initiative, which enables companies to reduce their dependence on single-use plastic. This step will also transform customer perceptions too.

Persistent efforts pay off

These efforts have been on for the past ten years, and so the declaration of the ban has evoked celebration and great delight for them. This organization has requested partners from the UAE to be an integral part of the Rethink Plastic Initiative. They are encouraging customers to stop using single plastic bags and choose reusable bags by increasing their prices. 

They have also requested partners to donate to the Emirates Nature WWF conservation efforts that help in addressing the challenges of the deteriorating climate and nature. 

Some companies and people might not be happy with this ban in the UAE

According to him, Millennials, Gen Z, and other people who are aware of the dangers of plastic are applauding this legislation. However, there are still some companies and people who are not happy with the ban. There are good reasons for the above legislation to be passed, and the first one is that the use of plastic by people and businesses is just out of limits. UAE produced approximately 8.3 billion tonnes 2019 of plastic, which is about 16,600 times the entire weight of the famous Burj Khalifa. In UAE, people every year use 11 billion bags of plastic, and this is about 1,184 bags of plastic for a single person; that is nearly quadruple the average number of bags of plastic annually used across the globe- its number being 307 for every person. 

Plastic has detrimental effects on the environment and life 

The above is an excessive number, especially if you consider the damaging impact that plastic has on the environment and people. In fact, as per credible estimates, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish species by the year 2050. 

According to business and finance expert Kavan Choksi, the problem of plastic is a persistent issue that needs to be arrested in the region. Its decomposition goes on for a long time, in fact, hundreds of years. Despite a lot of efforts, there is about 91% of plastic cannot be recycled. This is harmful to the planet and living species on land and in water. Plastic waste tends to penetrate into the soil, and when it gets inside the ocean, it kills marine animals and festers in all places. Pieces of plastic also find their way into the human body and damage health.