All plastic shopping bags will soon be banned gradually

According to Dr. Mohammad Majid al Kasbi, director of the Department of Chemical Materials at EA, the Environment Authority (EA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion (MoCIIP), will phase out the use of plastic shopping bags this year as part of its efforts to achieve Oman Vision 2040 in environmental sustainability.

Kasbi remarked in a statement to Muscat Daily: “EA, in cooperation with the concerned authorities, will begin to gradually ban all plastic bags used for shopping.”

“The first phase targets the health sector, such as pharmacies. This step is a complement to the decision to ban the use of single-use shopping bags from January 1, 2021.”

He said that, other from eco-friendly polypropylene bags, EA will fully ban the use of plastic bags of all thicknesses for shopping throughout the sultanate.

To raise awareness of the value of using ecologically friendly bags, the authority is collaborating with a number of other authorities, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources, the Consumer Protection Authority, and MoCIIP.

“We have distributed 800,000 environmentally friendly bags so far and organized 125 awareness workshops to spread a culture of using environment friendly materials and raise social awareness about the negative impacts of plastics to man and the environment.”

Since last year, the authority has conducted more than 63 awareness initiatives in a number of governorates to decrease the use of plastic. However, even with the partial ban, EA has recorded over 70 violations of shops distributing banned plastic bags. “They were warned and urged to adhere to the rules,” he said.

Import restrictions go into effect

A Ministerial Decision (No 519/2022) prohibiting the import of plastic bags was issued in September 2022 by HE Qais Mohammed al Yousef, Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion, and it went into force on January 1 of this year. It warned that any individual importing plastic bags will be slapped with an administrative fine of RO1,000.

“The decision aims to prevent the import of materials and goods that will harm the Omani environment and is part of a comprehensive plan agreed upon by MoCIIP with the Environment Authority,” Kasbi said.

He claims that until a comprehensive ban is implemented, the nearby plastic bag companies will make up for the market gap.

“Eliminating plastic bags is one of the challenges that the authority seeks to overcome in cooperation with the concerned authorities and find specifications for manufacturers and suppliers to ensure the correct transition to alternatives to plastic bags that harm the environment.”

According to Kasbi, several Omani factories have begun making eco-friendly bags in support of EA's decision and to further the circular economy.

Credit: Muscat Daily 

TLPPACKAGING FOR SHOPPING BAGS