KUWAIT: It is no secret that plastic bags are hazardous to the environment, a fact heavily documented by scientists and environmentalists alike. Joining the global rally to rid the world from the dangerous material, a number of Kuwaiti officials expressed strong desire to create a plastic bags-free country via various steps and noble causes.
Speaking on this matter, Director General and chairman of the board of the Environment Public Authority (EPA) Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Humoud Al-Sabah said that the authority was in support of decreasing dependency on plastic bags through the use of environment-friendly alternatives. The material which plastic bags are made from is hazardous for the ecosystem and also human beings, causing various negative effects, stated Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ahmad, who called on officials running cooperative societies and markets to seek substitutes for plastic bags. He affirmed that the EPA would continue to spread awareness on the subject on a multitude of platforms, saying that it was an obligation upon Kuwaitis to fight back against materials harmful to the environment.

In similar fashion, head of the Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies (UCCS) Mishaal Al-Sayer revealed that since 2011, a number of cooperative societies implemented measures to reduce usage of plastic bags, adding that 70 percent of such markets complied. A meeting for the federation was held to look into more venues to encourage the usage of environment-friendly bags, Sayer revealed, indicating that new measures will be enforced to rid Kuwait from plastic bags once and for all.

The EPA and several other entities are working to end the use of plastic bags by 2020.While it is a great step to protect the environment from the ill effects of plastic bags, the problem remains in the presence of a huge number of such material, making it quite a challenge especially with the known fact that the substance is very hard to decompose. It would a long and hard fight to protect the environment from plastic bags and other hazardous materials, but it would be worthwhile knowing that future generations would be thankful for a clean and health planet. - KUNA