Middle East & North Africa

MOCCAE launches smart use of plastics campaign

DUBAI, Apr 11 2018 - The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, MOCCAE, in collaboration with some public and private entities, has launched the ‘Responsible Consumption for Sustainable Future’ awareness campaign, with the theme, ‘Preserving our Environment: Smart Use of Plastic’.

Coinciding with Earth Day, the campaign is geared towards raising awareness on green practices that promote the principles of the 3 R’s; Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, when using and disposing of plastic products at both a corporate-wide or personal levels.

Running until 26th April, the campaign takes two approaches, the first approach involves coordination with federal and local government entities that are in direct interaction with consumers, particularly students, and retailers, to raise their awareness of smart plastic use and disposal methods through workshops and seminars.

The second approach directly targets consumers by posting a visual series of global facts and figures in addition to eco-tips on social media.

Commenting on the campaign, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said, “Plastic products are an integral part of many industries and sectors in the UAE that are important for our livelihoods. Therefore, we all have the responsibility to ensure the smart use of plastic by raising awareness on the principles of the 3 R’s; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, which in turn will contribute to a better future for our children and future generations.

“As the UAE’s prudent leadership realises the importance of spreading awareness of rationalising commodities and materials’ consumption, many initiatives have been rolled out over the years to educate the public on the smart practices and benefits of reducing, reusing and recycling plastic products.

“Such initiatives have positioned the UAE as a leader in the GCC in plastic waste recycling, as a survey commissioned by the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association revealed that the UAE scored the highest among other GCC states in terms of residents knowledge of which plastics could be recycled and correctly matching plastic products with the recycle code,” he noted.

Earth Day, celebrated every year on the 22nd April, is held this year with the theme ‘End Plastic Pollution’ to educate, inspire and mobilise communities to better manage their use and disposal of plastics.

 

WAM/Elsadig Idriss/Nour Salman