Dubai eateries expect plastic ban to raise operational costs

Eateries and restaurants in Dubai are expecting their costs to increase after the soft implementation of a ban on singleuse plastic products began on January 1.

- Nasreen Abdulla

This is the second phase of an executive resolution to completely ban single-use items in Dubai and it is expected to be fully implemented by June 1, 2025.

"We are waiting for clarity from the municipality about how it will be rolled out but, in the meantime, we have begun making changes," said Shyjil Hussain, owner of Zam Zam Mandi group of restaurants.

"We have swapped our plastic table covers for paper ones.

For the majlis seating area, this is not possible as we have carpets underneath. We are still exploring what alternatives can be used." He added that he is expecting costs to go up. "The table covers made of paper costs double the amount of the plastic ones," he said. "This will definitely drive up our operational costs, some of which we may have to pass on to customers." The second phase of the ban covers Styrofoam food containers as well as plastic straws, stirrers, table covers and cotton swabs. A list of alternatives including bamboo table covers, wooden cotton swabs and glass straws are listed on the Dubai Municipality website.