Single-use plastic bags to be banned in Dubai from June 1

The policy for all retail outlets also covers biodegradable ones as they require their own recycling stations

As of January 1, single-use plastic bags have been banned in Dubai, with a few exceptions. But from June, the ban will include all single-use bags of other materials. It’s part of a city-wide initiative to totally phase out single use products, as the emirate looks to go greener.

Further bans will be put in place in the year following. From January 1, 2025 single-use plastic products, including plastic stirrers, table covers, cups, styrofoam food containers, plastic straws, and plastic cotton swabs, will all be banned city-wide

Then from January 1, 2026, the ban will extend to plastic products like plates, food containers, tableware and cups.

As before, any non-compliance will result in a fine of Dhs200. For any further violations within a year, the penalty will double, up until a fee of Dhs2,000.

In Abu Dhabi, a single-use plastic bag ban has been in effect since June 2022. During the first year of the ban, single-use plastic was reduced by some 95 per cent, according to the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi.