Dubai single-use plastic bag ban to begin on Monday

A law banning single-use plastic bags will take effect in Dubai on Monday.

The resolution, issued by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, bans the import and trading of single-use plastic products in a phased approach, starting with plastic bags on January 1.

A decision to ban single-use plastic bags in all Emirates was taken at the start of 2023 by the UAE government. Each will begin to do so from Monday according to each emirate's own resolutions.

In Dubai, non-plastic single-use products, including single-use bags, will be included in the ban from June 1, 2024, according to Wam.

Pathway to plastic-free

Starting from January 1, 2025, single-use plastic products, including items such as plastic stirrers, table covers, cups, styrofoam food containers, plastic straws, and plastic cotton swabs, will also be prohibited.

Commencing on January 1, 2026, the ban will extend to other single-use plastic products including plastic plates, plastic food containers, plastic tableware, and beverage cups and their plastic lids.

The ruling contains exceptions that include plastic bags made from recycled materials. It also includes plastics required in goods that are exported abroad.

What is included in the ban?

The ban also includes food delivery packaging materials, thick plastic bags, plastic containers, and packaging materials either partially or entirely made of plastic, such as those used for plastic bottles, snack bags, wet wipes, balloons, and balloon sticks.

If a business continues to use single-use plastic bags, a fine of Dh200 will be given if the ban is violated, and will double each time the offence is committed within 12 months up to a maximum of Dh2,000.

The federal ruling goes further than previous rules from 2022 in Dubai, which imposed a nominal 25 fils charge on plastic bags, and in Abu Dhabi, which banned most plastic bags.

In Abu Dhabi, the June 1 ban from 2022 had already led to 87 million fewer single-use plastic bags after six months, a cut of about 90 per cent.

The ban does not apply to thin-film rolls used for packaging meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, grains, and bread, along with rubbish bags.

Exemptions also extend to single-use plastic products, such as shopping bags or disposable items, intended for export or re-export outside the country.

Emergency phone numbers in the UAE

Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

SERIE A FIXTURES

Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)

Lecce v SPAL (6pm)

Bologna v Genoa (9pm)

Atlanta v Roma (11.45pm)

Sunday

Udinese v Hellas Verona (3.30pm)

Juventus v Brescia (6pm)

Sampdoria v Fiorentina (6pm)

Sassuolo v Parma (6pm)

Cagliari v Napoli (9pm)

Lazio v Inter Milan (11.45pm)

Monday

AC Milan v Torino (11.45pm)

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

The Book of Collateral Damage

Sinan Antoon

(Yale University Press)

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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.

- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law

Who has been sanctioned?

Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.

Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.

Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.

Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.

If you go

The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.

The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.

The biog

Place of birth: Kalba

Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren

Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken

Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah

Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”

Multitasking pays off for money goals

Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.

That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.

"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.

Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."

People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.

"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."