Bahrain among first to reduce plastic waste

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Bahrain today joins many other nations in marking World Environment Day.

The 2023 World Environment Day is being held under the theme “Solutions to plastic pollution”, under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution.

His Majesty King Hamad’s Personal Representative, Supreme Council of Environment (SCE) president Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa said that Bahrain was among the first countries to take tangible steps to reduce plastic pollution.

“Bahrain has enacted national laws and legislations since 2019 to reduce plastic pollution, in line with the UN initiatives,” he said.

For 2023, the host of the World Environment Day is the West African country of Côte d’Ivoire, in partnership with The Netherlands.

He stressed the importance of highlighting environmental issues, especially managing waste and mitigating the impact of plastic pollution.

In a statement on this occasion, Shaikh Abdulla said initiatives and impact studies are underway in this regard, stressing the importance of stepping up waste recycling.

“Consumption products make up the largest percentage of plastic waste,” he said, urging a collective action to reduce consumption pollution to its lowest possible in Bahrain.

The world is being inundated by plastic. More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year, half of which is designed to be used only once.

Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled. An estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas.

Today, plastic clogs our landfills, leaches into the ocean and is combusted into toxic smoke, making it one of the gravest threats to the planet.