Qatar to ban single-use plastic bags from November 15

Single-use plastics

The ban on single-use plastic bags, which has been approved by the Qatar Cabinet, will come into force on November 15, 2022, the Ministry of Municipality announced on Thursday.

The ban will seek the end of sale and use of plastic bags with a thickness less than 40 microns and which are used only once before throwing or recycling, Ahmed Youssef Al Emadi, Director of Legal Affairs Department of the ministry said.

Multi-use bags or biodegradable plastic bags can be used as alternatives, he said, adding that circulating, carrying or transferring single-use plastic bags is banned as well. 

Hamad Jassim Al-Bahr, Director of the Waste Recycling and Treatment Department at the Ministry of Municipality, said the decision comes within a package of legal legislation, programmes and campaigns that the ministry has been working on for a long time, including, for example, the decision to sort solid waste, the program for sorting waste from the source, and the “zero waste” campaign. and others.

He explained that many factories and companies have begun to adjust their conditions with the requirements of the new resolution even before its issuance and approval.

• Single-use plastic bags: Bags made of plastic, from plastic flakes or fabric, with a thickness of less than 40 microns, and used once as packaging material, before being dumped or recycled.

• Plastic bags for multiple uses: Bags made of plastic, from flakes or plastic fabric, with thicknesses between 40 and 60 microns, and are intended to be used several times, as packaging material.