Dubai has banned more single-use plastic products as of Jan. 1, 2025, including plastic straws, stirrers, cotton swabs, table covers, cups, and expanded polystyrene foam food containers commonly used for take-away meals.
The new wave of bans in the second phase of a three-phase ban first announced at the end of 2023.
The regulation, issued by the Crown Prince of Dubai, bans the import and trading of single-use products in a phased approach. The resolution applies equally to single-use virgin and recycled products, regardless of their material composition.
Single-use plastics bags were the first affected by the ban, effective as Jan. 1, 2024. Non-plastic single-use products, including single-use bags, were also banned from June 1, 2024.
From Jan. 1, 2026, the ban will extend to other single-use plastic products including plastic plates, plastic food containers, plastic tableware, and beverage cups and their plastic lids.
Single-use thin films for packaging meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, grains, and bread are exempt from the ban. Exemptions also extend to garbage bags, and products intended for export or re-export outside the United Arab Emirates. The resolution prohibits the trading of these products in local markets and mandates a clear indication of their purpose for export or re-export outside the country.
The regulation has the ‘ultimate goal of protecting the environment, encouraging people to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle, and promoting the culture of using reusable products to advance sustainable development’, according to a Dec. 31, 2023, statement from the Emirate News Agency (WAM). The ban is also expected to ‘encourage the private sector to promote the use of recycled products, aligning with circular economy practices that foster sustainable recycling of products in local markets’.