Retailers ditch plastic bags for eco-friendly options for a day
COMPANIES TRY TO LIMIT USE OF SUCH BAGS ON INTERNATIONAL PLASTIC BAG FREE DAY
Retailers in the UAE stepped up efforts yesterday to help stem plastic shopping bag waste from harming the environment as the world observed International Plastic Bag Free Day.
Officials at Waitrose grocery stores reported yesterday that their latest plastic bag campaign at five outlets in Abu Dhabi was bearing fruit.
The food chain started charging 25 fils per plastic bag on June 16 at five locations and the plastic bag requests have plummeted, the company said.
The effort follows similar efforts by grocery firms in recent years such as Choithrams in Dubai to limit plastic bag use at its stores.
In a statement, Waitrose said that “two weeks into the trial across five Abu Dhabi stores (Waitrose Etihad Towers, Waitrose Sun and Sky Reem Island, Waitrose Al Zeina, Waitrose Saadiyat Beach Community and Waitrose Eastern Mangroves), the [stores] reported a 74 per cent reduction in the single-use of plastic bags, with over 5,728 people purchasing a reusable plastic bag in the past fortnight. Comparing the data annually, the supermarket sold only 60 reusable bags, in the same period last year.”
Majid Al Futtaim, owner of Carrefour stores, said yesterday it is offering eco-friendly bags as an alternative to plastic.
“Shoppers at 28 Carrefour hypermarkets throughout the UAE and select supermarkets can avail of a two-for-one offer on reusable eco-bags. Priced at Dh2.75, the bags come with a lifetime guarantee and will be replaced free of charge at the customer’s request,” the company said. “To help customers get into the habit of bringing their eco-bags with them on every grocery trip, Carrefour will be introducing a dedicated ‘Green Checkout’ counter as a pilot project in hypermarkets located in City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Me’aisem, City Centre Deira and Mall of the Emirates with more branches expected to follow suit by the end of 2018.”
Across the country at 10 Enoc petrol stations, for example, Zoom convenience stores stopped handing out plastic bags for the day to remind customers of the importance of plastic waste that is killing the world’s oceans.
The company said in a statement, “Currently, 10 Zoom stores are plastic bag-free, using paper bag alternatives, with plans to eliminate using plastic bags across all stores in the near future. In 2018, Zoom will also introduce canvas bags.”
Organisers of the global plastic bag-free awareness day were happy. “It doesn’t make sense to produce something that lasts hundreds of years when it is going to be used for a few minutes,” they said.