Bahrain’s eco-friendly move to promote plastic alternatives

TDT | Manama     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Staff Reporter

The governmental agencies are in their best efforts to promote plastic alternatives as part of a bid to implement pro-environment measures, according to a senior government official.

Shaikh Hamad bin Salman Al Khalifa, Assistant Undersecretary within the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said a comprehensive study is ongoing regarding the introduction of alternative products to plastic bags in the longer run.

The official’s comment comes in light of the Kingdom banning single-use plastic bags having thickness of less than 35 microns since September 18. The ministry’s assistance aims to protect and preserve the environment in order to achieve Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030 goals of protecting natural spaces and reducing pollution. This can be accomplished by reducing the spread of plastic waste, which also endangers wildlife.

“The ministry had conducted a comprehensive study to see the status of plastic bags in factories and the main point of sale,” Shaikh Hamad said.

“According to the Assistant Undersecretary for Local and Foreign Trade, market surveys revealed that all local factories intend to manufacture multi-use plastic bags thicker than 35 microns. “The survey also revealed that 86 per cent of those local factories will continue to produce plastic products that are exempt from the new ban on single-use plastic bags.

“This move would create more awareness and responsibility around saving our environment with the enforcement of the law – and with all our cooperation, we can definitely build a safe and sustainable environment for all living creatures.

“Various measures are being implemented with the support of officials in order to achieve a safe and secure life for citizens while also assuring the availability of technical capabilities to manufacture multi-use of 35 microns or more,” Shaikh Hamad added.

He also emphasised that the ministry will continue to take steps to protect environmental systems, emphasising the importance of everyone’s cooperation in moving forward with these efforts. The officials noted that several neighbouring and developed countries have applied similar regulations to limit the spread of plastic bags, in hope of curbing litter and minimising greenhouse emissions caused by plastic bag productions.

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism (MOICT) earlier issued an order to ban selling, manufacturing, circulating and importing single-use plastic bags, which are less than 35 microns in thickness. Minister Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani said that the decision aims to support environmental protection initiatives and limit the spread of plastic waste.

He highlighted that the ban is in line with the government’s plans of securing an environment that supports sustainability and reduces pollution. The ban will exclude single-use plastic bags that are more than 35 microns in thickness, single-use plastic bags that are used for medical purposes and bags that are used for exports, he said.

Al Zayani said that the MOICT held stakeholder engagement sessions especially with the private sector through the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The minister noted that several neighbouring and developed countries have applied similar regulations to limit the spread of plastic waste, which poses a great danger to the environment and wildlife.

He stressed that the ministry will continue to take measures that contribute to environmental systems protection, calling on the need for everyone’s cooperation to move forward in enforcing these efforts to preserve environmental safety.