In the ever-changing, still fast-growing city of excess, the environment is still a priority. Over the past couple of years, Dubai has been taking a very responsible and conscious direction towards a more sustainable lifestyle. One of these efforts and probably one of the most important ones is Dubai Can. So what is this initiative exactly and what changes did it start?
Dubai Can
Launched by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai on Tuesday, Feb. 15. The Dubai Can initiative aims to spread conscious living and refill culture not only across the city but the whole Emarite.
The initiative is a multi-step slow progress plan with a bunch of smaller initiatives, to collectively implement changes in the society of the UAE that will eventually put Dubai on the map as a leading city for renewable energy and sustainability.
The smaller initiatives started with pricing 25 fils on plastic bags in hopes of cutting down single-use plastic across the country. Before banning it completely in two years according to Khaleej Times.
What other initiatives are there?
Initiatives
Staring with Free Water Dispencries that was launched at the same time as the Dubai Can initiative. It started as 30 locations across Dubai with plans of expansion to 50 in a short time while keeping the ultimate goal at 1000 locations in hopes of including all Dubai residences in the new refill culture movement no matter where they live in the city. Along with encouragement on using refillable stainless steel water bottles to fully benefit from the free water dispensaries providing fresh clean water at 10c degrees for the public.
But what to do with all the plastic at home? RECAPP got the UAE residencies’ back. It is a door-to-door recycling service. Started in Abu Dhabi and is now in Dubai just in time with the Dubai Can initiative. All environmentally conscious residents have to do is download the app, schedule timings for pick-up, and off to the recycling location.
Lastly, phasing out plastic in schools, specifically GEMS Legacy schools. Plastic water bottles were recently banned from campus while providing students, faculty members, and all school workers with stainless steel refillable bottles in an effort to raise awareness of the refill culture from a young age and train “plastic snobs” as the school principal, says according to Gulf News.
Outcome
The outcome of the whole initiative is seen all over Dubai with pedestrians going about their day with visible flasks refilling as they go. Plastic use is decreasing gradually. People of all ages and backgrounds are becoming hyperaware of the negative effect plastic usage has on the environment.
All of this is promising and anyone with eyes can see that in a couple of years Dubai will be a plastic-free city and a Mecca of sustainable living.