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Submitted by: Thomas Powell
The emirate of Ajman, which is the first emirate in the United Arab Emirates, is doing its bit for the environment by imposing a ban on plastic bags within its borders. This is one of the seven emirates, and the first to take such action so far.
Chairman of the Ajman Department of Municipality and Planning, Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, was the man to issue this order, which will be enforced in July 2010. This will start from the beginning of the month, and continue for as long as the law is in place, assuming the ban works well. The order to impose this law was issued in January 2010, on the 18th of the month, which gives the emirate and its citizens almost seven months to prepare for the order to come into place. This means that when the time comes around, it should not be such a shock to the system, as measures should be put in place before then which will see the usage of plastic bags be cut down to minimum possible levels anyway by then. It just means that from July 1st, it will be illegal to use these bags, but this does not condone their use before then, in the months leading up to this final enforcement.
The punishment for using a plastic bag after this date will be a monetary fine. The maximum amount set in place currently is Dh50,000, or, 13,612 US dollars, but the value given to individuals may be anything up to this. It will be possible to use certain plastic bags, but these will be recycled ones which have to meet regulations. The regulations include stickers upon the bags, which specify exactly when bags should be recycled and where they came from. All shops within the vicinity of Ajman should take note of this as soon as possible, and contact suppliers who can help provide them with suitable bags to offer shoppers. There is a grace period of six months that has been granted for those with plastic bags in stock to be able to use them up and get rid of any they have left. This law will basically only have bad impact for shops and suppliers, as it is them who are responsible for serving the masses and dictating how people will take their shopping home. As long as they do not hand a shopper a plastic bag, that is not one of the recycled ones, then they are not breaking the law.
The majority of bags will be replaced by fabric counterparts, such as jute, as these are environmentally friendly and will not harm the environment, even if disposed, as plastic bags do. Plastic bags have been seen to be harmful to the environment for many years and often clog up oceans and can be ingested by local wildlife. The use of alternative measures for packaging goods will mean that these areas will vastly improve.
This law will come in in phases, which are to be discussed at the moment, and will mean Ajman is an environmentally forward province.
About the Author: Be a part of the solution, not the problem use
tote bags
to carry your shopping.
Source:
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