The UAE Ministry statistics show residents use a whopping 11 billion plastic bags annually in the UAE. Sign this petition to help stop it.   

Worldwide, shoppers use some 500 billion plastic bags a year - 150 for every person on earth, each year. And the number is rising.

Plastic bags can take decades to disintegrate, so one bag can kill many animals. An animal that dies from the bag will decompose but the bag will be released, and another animal could eat the same bag. 

It isn't just the damage to the environment and loss of wildlife we need to worry about. We are also poisoning our own food chain. According to Ocean Crusaders, at least two thirds of the world’s fish stocks are suffering from plastic ingestion. Scientists estimate that every square mile of ocean contains about 46,000 pieces of floating plastic.

Since the UK introduced a 5p (25 fils) charge per bag last October, recent figures suggest that the number of single-use plastic bags used by shoppers in England has plummeted by more than 85%.

How it works in the UK:
Retailers with 250 or more full-time equivalent employees have to charge a minimum of 5p (25fils) for the bags they provide for shopping, but smaller shops and paper bags are not included. There are also exemptions for some goods, such as raw meat and fish, prescription medicines, seeds and flowers and live fish.

The UAE Federal National Council has encouraged retailers to adopt alternatives to plastic bags for many years, but progress has been slow. Support the UAE government to make a change!

Support the introduction of a plastic bag charge similar to that in the UK, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland and Mexico.

Monies raised can go towards education campaigns to raise awareness of this issue, and to charities to support the clean up.

Sign this petition to stop the unnecessary and irresponsible use of plastic bags in the UAE.