‘Bag this advice - it’s time we all ditched the plastic’
By the end of 2012, hypermarkets and supermarkets in the UAE are due to replace plastic bags with environment-friendly paper or jute bags for carrying groceries.
We are less than six months away from this and supermarkets still continue to use too many plastic bags and do not offer their customers any alternative.
We are all aware that plastic bags are extremely harmful to the environment. The shift from plastic bags to eco-friendly bags will be a great initiative and should have been implemented before now.
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This has been done elsewhere in the world but most people in the UAE rely on the use of plastic bags and only gradually will adapt to the change.
If the UAE aims to become plastic-free by the end of this year, measures should be well in place at this point in time.
Moreover, I have seen jute bags at some of the renowned supermarkets, but the staff barely make an effort to advice customers on the damaging effects of the plastic bags they hand out freely.
These jute bags are sold for a minimal charge but most customers prefer to use plastic bags at the counter instead of spending extra.
In order to promote the use of environmentally-friendly shopping bags, I think that the supermarkets and hypermarkets should either provide their customers with free jute or paper bags, or should remove all plastic bags from the counter so that customers will not be left with a choice other than to purchase and use these jute bags.
Fatima Suhail
Sharjah
Comments
by gayin366
Tuesday, August 21 2012, 7:28PM
“Very Well Said Fatima. What ever we do we use plastic in our day to day life whether it is a plastic mug, plastic bucket or plastic containers we use in kitchen. This letter should be an eye opener for all of us as a society we have lots to learn and improve. Littering, wasting paper, dumping plastic bags around spoiling the environment all contributes to these factors.
The biggest problem is with the plastic bags which are used for packing of milk, oil, salt etc they become big environmental problem. when we go for shopping the shop owners gives, shopping plastic bag which is handy but which is destroying the environment. We see so many beautiful and fashionable and colorful bags but how much these bags will harm environment? There are many who wonder about the effect of plastic shopping bags on the environment. Months back when i was out Shopping in one of the hypermarkets i was shocked to see the amt of plastic bags that each customers were using . The worst part was that when i had asked the lady in the cash counter to provide me with a jute bag she was confused and dint know what was a jute bag and i had to explain what it looked like in front of other customers .so that's when i came to notion that there are a lot of people who need to be educated on what is a jute bag as people are not aware and due to this reason they don't even care about the nature and the environment . I was disguised to see some people throwing the plastic bags outside the hypermarket. incorrectly disposed plastic bags not only clutter land scape with unsightly waste but they can also harm wildlife. when plastics do eventually decompose they can leak toxins in to the ground.To avoid using plastic bags, invest in a reusable shopping bag, usually made of canvas. You can use these inexpensive bags over and over, reducing your carbon footprint.You can also reuse plastic bags around the house, for waste collection and miscellaneous transporting of food and other items. Lets go green and save our planet. ”
by sh33bz
Friday, August 17 2012, 8:44PM
“The UAE aims to become plastic-free by the end of this year..?
Does that include my new nose..? :o”
by lady godiva
Thursday, August 16 2012, 12:56PM
“I am one of the customer who does use recycle bags. But u know what we cant carry it everywhere. the tendency to forget is greater. especially if the male counterparts have to go picking a few things after work. do you think they will carry the bags around? there is downside to this”