Ban on plastic bags in effect from today

The enforcement of the technical regulations, which would result in the ban of single use plastic bags will come into effect today. This follows the implementation of the ministerial order numbered 11 with regard to the technical regulations for plastic products. The ministerial order is in line with the directives of the Government Executive Committee chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister.

It is also in line with the stances of the Ministerial Committee for Urbanisation and Infrastructure. Meanwhile, the Supreme Council for the Environment (SCE) stated that the companies that need to continue using plastic bags will have to apply for a special licence. The new biodegradable garbage bags, which will replace the plastic bags will not come at additional costs to the public, it has been revealed.

Sources within the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning said that distribution of garbage bags will continue as usual without any changes. They said that there are specific fee for garbage bags as they are contained within the municipal fees. In a statement to media, the Director-General of the Capital Municipal Council, Shawqiya Humaidan stated that the municipality has conveyed to the garbage bag suppliers to incorporate new eco-friendly and biodegradable make-up A study conducted by the SCE revealed that the transition to eco-friendly and biodegradable garbage bags will not affect the plastic products manufacturing sector in Bahrain.

“The SCE has implemented measures to expand the number of recycling businesses by increasing the total number of recycling bins, thereby reducing plastic-waste that ends up in landfills,” said Supreme Council for Environment Chief Executive Officer Dr Mohammed Bin Daina. He highlighted that 40 per cent of household waste is plastic, which can only be effectively reduced through prohibition and regulation.      

In another development, residents of Manama will soon be able to receive garbage bags from vending machines. The Capital Municipality, in collaboration with the Ministry of Works, Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning, intends to install automated garbage bag vending machines to provide garbage bags for the residents of the governorate. The municipality looks to follow the success of the Southern Governorate that has installed similar systems earlier this year. According to the plans, the machine will store and provide the black garbage bags to the residents that need them. Garbage bag vending machines project is named “Sahal” which translates to “Easy” in English.

The vending machines are meant to be user-friendly, only requiring the users ID number and EWA account number  to check eligibility of the user to receive the bag.  The project was first launched in the Southern Governorate in April. Furthermore, the Ministry of Works, Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning is considering launching the machines in all governorates. The ministry hopes to cover all important locations in Bahrain with such machines.