Biodegradable plastic bags in the UAE pushed

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is targeting to be free of non-biodegradable plastic bags and products by 2013, Obaid Al Matroushi, Director-General of the Ministry of Environment and Water, announced. The ministry had prepared a standards guide on biodegradable plastics, with items covered by these standards being flexible shopping bags and semi-rigid plastic packaging for food, magazines, consumer-durables, garbage bags, bin-liners for household use, shrink wrap, pellet wrap, cling films, and other articles that are used and discarded. Ajman will be the first emirate to ban plastic bags from 1 July 2010 and requires that all plastics bag importers to re-register and obtain approval prior to importing plastics bags. The Dubai Municipality also distributed oxo-biodegradable plastic bags during the celebration of the National Environment Day. The new bags, also called d2w, are being used by the DM and other municipalities in the UAE for four years. In Sharjah, new standards on biodegradable plastics are being implemented starting January 1.NikeLab ACG.07.KMTR