Stores stock up on reusable bags as plastic bag ban commences in Oman

Muscat: Many shops in Oman had to order for reusable bags, following the ban on single-use plastic bags in the country.

With a ban on plastic bags starting on 1 January, many outlets had already made alternatives made from cloth and paper available to customers before it came into effect. High demand, though, means many customers needed to wait for more reusable bags to arrive on shelves, or had to go elsewhere to find them.

“All of our reusable bags were sold out in the morning of January 1 alone,” said a supervisor at a multinational supermarket chain in Oman. “We have ordered for more bags and they are expected soon.”

In the absence of bags in some stores, customers had resorted to other alternatives. A couple of them took home their groceries in empty cardboard boxes provided by the stores, while those who lived, or were parked near them, and had just a few things to buy carried their purchases in their hands.

Many other shops and restaurants, however, had plenty of stock to provide their customers, and were also selling them at a nominal fee to them. One shop in Ruwi, for example, made cloth bags available for just 100 baisas each, while another had them priced at 200 baisas.

“From January 1 onwards, we will be selling no plastic bags in our stores,” said a representative of a department store in Amerat. “We have made two or three types of reusable bags for our customers, but they are also welcome to bring their own bags with them.”

Several outlets in Oman had also put out advisories to people reminding them that the plastic bag ban is in effect.

“Effective from January 1, 2021, the use of single-use plastic bags are banned in Oman as per Ministerial Decision No. 23/2020,” said a statement from Lulu Hypermarket.

“Customers may bring their own bags or purchase reusable shopping bags in store.” Multinational chain Spar had a similar message for customers.

Dr Abdullah bin Ali Al Omari, the chairman of Oman’s Environment Authority, said it was completely understandable for some businesses to take a few days to adapt to the new rules. The government body had been running awareness campaigns over this decision since December, to ensure everyone knew of the changes coming, and how it would affect their shopping.

“Cleaning up-single use plastic bags is very difficult, especially since Oman has a varied landscape, which includes mountains, wadis, deserts, beaches, and the sea,” he said.

“Most of the waste we monitored in these places turned out to be single-use bags, which distorted the beauty of our surroundings and harmed our environment.”

“These bags are unfortunately seen everywhere: roads, parks, the coastline, and even on water surfaces, where they cause the death of fish and other animals,” added Al Omari. “We ran our campaigns in such a way that the news would reach everyone so that they could prepare for it.”

Customers at shops in the country praised the state’s decision to ban single-use plastic bags. Qasim Al Shehi from Wilayat Bukha in the Governorate of Musandam said, “The decision was made to protect our environment. I advise everyone to adhere to this decision, and not use disposable plastic bags.”

Adding to this, Mohammed Al Badi of Wilayat Saham in North Al Batinah, said, “I was made aware of the penalty we will face if we use disposable plastic bags through social media. The penalty was put in place to deter people from using these bags.”

Another Omani, who wished to be known only by her first name, Siham, explained, “It must also be the responsibility of the suppliers of reusable bags to make sure they provide enough to shopkeepers. Otherwise, customers in these shops will not have access to such bags, and will need to make do with whatever alternatives they can find.”