UAE to introduce single-use plastic ban in 2026: Your need to know
A comprehensive ban on the import, production and trade of single-use plastic products will be introduced on Thursday January 1 across the emirates.
This ban is in addition to the existing plan to ban plastic plates, plastic food containers, plastic tableware and drinks cups with plastic lids in Dubai on the first day of 2026.
Previously, Dubai banned single-use plastic bags in 2024 and plastic stirrers, tablecloths, cups and food containers made of styrofoam in 2025.
It's all part of a phased approach in the UAE to reducing plastic waste and protecting the environment.
The national ban on single-use plastic was announced on World Environment Day, Thursday June 5, by Dr Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, the Minister of Climate Change and Environment.
The plastic ban applies to importing single-use plastic products from abroad, production of any single-use plastic products in the UAE and the sale of any single-use plastic product in Dubai and the other emirates.
Plastic waste is considered one of the most dangerous pollutants on Earth due to its resistance to degradation and recycling.
On World Environment Day, we shed light on the growing challenges of plastic pollution and the urgent need for a comprehensive shift in consumption and… pic.twitter.com/Bcec22BAO7
— وزارة التغير المناخي والبيئة (@MoCCaEUAE) June 5, 2025
The UAE's Circular Economy Policy, introduced in January 2021, is geared towards renewable production, responsible food consumption and green transportation.
Dr Al Dahak said that the national policy is a key driver in reducing plastic waste in the UAE.
She said: 'The policy prioritises reducing plastic waste and promoting innovative solutions for sustainable packaging and recycling.
'Furthermore, we are resolutely committed to managing hazardous waste and aggressively reducing plastic waste at every level.
'Each of us, as responsible members of our community, can play a leading role in realising our nation's vision by joining the mission to eliminate unnecessary plastic from our daily lives.
'Let us become active agents of change, leading a powerful movement towards thriving communities, and a vibrant, resilient environment.
'Let us protect the land and the sea that are so integral to our lives, for ourselves, our loved ones, and for generations to come.'
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Time Out Dubai
09-06-2025
- Time Out Dubai
UAE to introduce single-use plastic ban in 2026: Your need to know
The United Arab Emirates is set to introduce a single-use plastic ban at the start of 2026. A comprehensive ban on the import, production and trade of single-use plastic products will be introduced on Thursday January 1 across the emirates. This ban is in addition to the existing plan to ban plastic plates, plastic food containers, plastic tableware and drinks cups with plastic lids in Dubai on the first day of 2026. Previously, Dubai banned single-use plastic bags in 2024 and plastic stirrers, tablecloths, cups and food containers made of styrofoam in 2025. It's all part of a phased approach in the UAE to reducing plastic waste and protecting the environment. The national ban on single-use plastic was announced on World Environment Day, Thursday June 5, by Dr Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, the Minister of Climate Change and Environment. The plastic ban applies to importing single-use plastic products from abroad, production of any single-use plastic products in the UAE and the sale of any single-use plastic product in Dubai and the other emirates. Plastic waste is considered one of the most dangerous pollutants on Earth due to its resistance to degradation and recycling. On World Environment Day, we shed light on the growing challenges of plastic pollution and the urgent need for a comprehensive shift in consumption and… — وزارة التغير المناخي والبيئة (@MoCCaEUAE) June 5, 2025 The UAE's Circular Economy Policy, introduced in January 2021, is geared towards renewable production, responsible food consumption and green transportation. Dr Al Dahak said that the national policy is a key driver in reducing plastic waste in the UAE. She said: 'The policy prioritises reducing plastic waste and promoting innovative solutions for sustainable packaging and recycling. 'Furthermore, we are resolutely committed to managing hazardous waste and aggressively reducing plastic waste at every level. 'Each of us, as responsible members of our community, can play a leading role in realising our nation's vision by joining the mission to eliminate unnecessary plastic from our daily lives. 'Let us become active agents of change, leading a powerful movement towards thriving communities, and a vibrant, resilient environment. 'Let us protect the land and the sea that are so integral to our lives, for ourselves, our loved ones, and for generations to come.' More Dubai news FIX chocolate is launching a new flavour this week — here's how to try it You could be one of the first to get your hands on the new bar 40 Dubai locations to see traffic improvements this summer Everything you need to know 6 surprising ways the new dirham symbol will affect you Including where it'll appear on your keyboard
The Independent
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TikTok trend blamed for global pistachio shortage
The viral popularity of Dubai chocolate, a milk chocolate bar stuffed with pistachio cream and shredded pastry, has led to a global pistachio shortage. The chocolate bar, created by boutique Emirati chocolatier FIX, gained international attention after a TikTok video garnered more than 120 million views. This surge in demand, coupled with a poor US pistachio harvest last year, has caused pistachio prices to increase significantly. Major chocolate brands like Lindt and Läderach created their own versions of the Dubai chocolate, further contributing to the shortage. Some retailers have resorted to limiting purchases per customer due to the high demand and limited supply.
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Dubai chocolate: How a sweet treat worth £15 went viral
While on holiday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week, there was only one mission on my mind - getting my hands on the viral "Dubai chocolate" you're on TikTok, you will have seen the bar, which combines the flavours of chocolate, pistachio and tahini with filo pastry, and is inspired by the Arab dessert original, called Can't Get Knafeh of It, by FIX Chocolatier, has been sold exclusively in the UAE since 2022. It become so popular on social media that it's only on sale for two hours a day and often sells out within now imitations, known by the nickname "Dubai chocolate", have hit UK supermarkets including Waitrose, Lidl and Morrisons, with some supermarkets limiting the number of bars customers are allowed to Alani, who co-owns FIX with his wife Sarah Hamouda, told the BBC the global attention Dubai chocolate was getting was "flattering and humbling". The FIX chocolate bar was first imagined by Hamouda in 2021, who craved the flavours while she was and Hamouda started developing the bar a year later, running the business alongside their corporate jobs."Sarah and I were brought up in the UK and we moved to Dubai 10 years ago, so we've got Western and Arab roots."We wanted to create flavours that were inspired by that," Alani of the appeal of the chocolate is its exclusivity - you can only order it using a food delivery app, rather than walking into a shop or grabbing it at the costs around £15 per bar and can only be bought during specific hours of the day to ensure the company can fulfil all their orders.I also saw similar bars sold in many shops in the region, dubbed "Dubai chocolate" and adorned with pictures of pistachios and filo says the "copycat" bars are "very frustrating because people are trying knockoffs, which damages our brand". One of the reasons for the bar's surge in popularity has been social media - with a viral video by TikTok user Maria Vehera from 2023 being cited as one of the main reasons for its rise to shows Vehera trying the Knafeh bar for the first time - along with several others made by the same chocolatier - and has been liked nearly seven million way the bar looks is made for social media - from the attractive orange and green spots on top of the smooth milk chocolate to the crunch sound it makes when you break off a combined with pistachio isn't new but the real standout element is the crunchy nature of the filling, with the filo pastry adding a texture and thickness to the bar. Since the Can't Get Knafeh of It bar is only available in one country, other brands have started to sell their versions in the UK, including Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt whose Dubai chocolate is being sold for £10 in stocking the bar, Waitrose says they've had to introduce a two-bar limit for customers in order to regulate stock version has also been sold by Home Bargains, while supermarket Lidl has its own version for £4.99 and is also limiting purchase influencer documented how the bar been kept behind tills for this tried the Lindt bar and a couple of other versions being sold in corner shops, there is quite a FIX chocolate is billed as a "dessert bar" and needs to be kept in the fridge, with a short expiry date like many dairy isn't the case for the others, which have been designed to have a longer shelf can also see the difference in taste and texture - the original bar is almost double the width of the Lindt bar, which is more aligned to the size and shape of a standard chocolate bar. When Alani and Hamouda first started out, they employed one person to fulfil around six to seven orders a day. But since growing in popularity, primarily thanks to TikTok, their business now employs 20 people, who fulfil 500 orders a big talking point has been the price of the product, which is £15 per bar."It's all handmade, every single design is done by hand," Alani says."We use premium ingredients and the process is not like making a Cadbury's bar - you've got the baking, moulding the chocolate to the design and with the filling itself, even the pistachios are hand-picked and processed". Speaking to Arabian Business last year, Hamouda said: "My mother used to make Knafeh, and that's something I wanted to capture my own way."Knafeh was the first flavour we perfected. The crunch, the pistachio, it had to be just right," she the product's success, Alani says "it's been a tough journey" as the pair have been working together full time while also raising their two children."There's been times where we've wanted to give up, but we said to ourselves 'we'll keep going as long as we can pay the rent' and now we have no regrets as its worked out".
