Tuesday 29 / July / 2025
Muscat: Oman’s environment will greatly benefit from the decision to ban single-use plastic bags, which comes into effect next year, the country’s Environment Authority has said.
The decision to ban the use of plastic bags comes into effect from 1 January, with the authority spreading awareness on reusable bags and where they can be bought.
“Multiple-use bags are made of different materials such as cloth, paper and jute, and can be found in malls and shopping centres,” said the government body in its advisory.
“They can be used up to a hundred times before being discarded. They are strong, heavy, and at least 50 microns thick.”
On the contrary, added the Environment Authority, single-use plastic bags “are made from two types of plastic – a lighter and a heavier version.” More common is the lighter variety, which is why bags made from them easily float in the air.
“To break them down and decompose is a big challenge, as it can take nearly 1,000 years for them to do so,” the authority added.
On their environmental impact, the organisation said, “These bags are responsible for harming more than 100,000 species of animals and birds, and kill more than 267 animals every year.
“Getting rid of plastic bags by burning results in the formation of chemical compounds that take the form of black clouds that lead to air pollution that affects the human respiratory system.”
There are 12 days remaining until the ban on single-use plastic bags is implemented, in keeping with Royal Decree No. 23/2020.
The decree ratifies the Montreal Protocol relating to Amendments to Articles 50(a) and 56 of the Convention of International Civil Aviation signed in Chicago in 1944, and has been published in Official Gazette No. 1333.
