Dubai, October 22: The Ministry of Environment and Water is working on the specifications of the biodegradable mixture to be used in manufacturing alternative plastic bags, according to a top official.
“The final specifics of the additives to be used in the new plastic mixture are expected to be laid down in 2010,” Dr Mariam Al Shenasi, Executive Director for Technical Affairs at the ministry, told Khaleej Times.
“Plastic manufacturers shall then comply with the set mixture in line with the ministry’s nationwide drive launched on Tuesday to ban plastic bags by 2013 for (protecting) human health and natural resources.”
Titled ‘UAE Free of Plastic Bags’, the three-year campaign is aimed to develop environmental awareness among people, particularly labourers, students and shoppers, and encourage them to use alternative bags made of biodegradable materials, such as clothes.
Initial surveys show that the UAE consumes around one billion plastic bags every year, and that plastic items constitute 10.9 per cent of domestic wastes.
Dr Al Shenasi said alternative bags are more economic. “Unlike plastic bags, they can be washed and reused several times. As such, the cost (real value) is higher than non-biodegradable bags which take 400 to 1,000 years to degrade,” she said.
Certain supermarkets, such as Carrefour and Lulu, have started replacing non-biodegradable bags with alternative ones that break down into non-poisonous materials in less than a year.
“It is a matter of using air-conditioners running on solar power instead of electricity, or running vehicles on lead-free fuel. The drive, in brief, is meant to avoid as much negative effects of using such hazardous materials (as possible),” Dr Al Shenasi said.
“Plastic manufacturers themselves want their products to be environment-friendly. This adds to their credibility. Otherwise, we have not received any complaints about the ban.”
Dr Al Shenasi said while researches show that plastic bags emit poisonous chemicals when released into the earth, using additives makes the pure plastic less and the bags easy to degrade.
“Some plastic bags were found in the digestive system of more than 200 dead camels, turtles, dolphins and fishes. When incinerated, they (plastics) even turn into other materials harmful to the environment,” she said.
Ministry’s officials paid visits to 26 big plastic factories in the country, more specifically in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Sharjah. “While 14 of them produced 26,000 metric tonnes of plastic bags for local use in 2008, only 2,000 tonnes of biodegradable plastic bags were produced,” she said.
Abdulaziz Al Midfa, Director-General of the Environment and Protected Areas Authority, Sharjah, said the plastic factories, which have already created a massive environmental problem, should be fully involved in the solution.
“The private sector must duly shoulder its responsibility towards the society. They can easily use biodegradable elements in manufacturing plastic bags or even make other plastic products,” he said.
He said Sharjah has been long working on a ban on plastic bags. “It is now three years since we have launched plastic-based awareness campaigns to develop people’s awareness about its hazards.
“We want people to be convinced from deep inside about the reasons behind the sought-after ban in all emirates. “Monitoring the wastes received at the Sharjah landfill shows a little drop in plastic bags. However, a noticeable decrease has been reported in the use of plastic bags at cooperative societies and shopping malls.”
More people even now go for reusable and biodegradable bags, he said.
“Being a petroleum country, it is easier and cheaper for us to produce petrochemicals like plastic.
“However, its negative impact is more harmful to the soil, image of the country, land and marine environments. Plastic bags may also lead to deaths of some animals like camels.”
–Agencies