The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Egypt’s Red Sea governorate has decided to ban single-use bags and all disposable plastics, starting from June, turning it into a “Go Green” land. Governor Ahmed Abdallah’s main goal is to protect wildlife, marine life, and endangered species, all of which have been harmed and negatively affected by plastic.

The Association for The Protection of the Environment (A.P.E.) has taken action against plastic as it also affects human health. The decree will ban the use of plastic bags in food shops, restaurants, supermarkets, grocery stores and pharmacies. Plastic knives and forks, cups, and straws will also be banned in restaurants and on cruise ships within the governorate; however, heavy duty garbage collection bags are not included in the ban.

The Red Sea governorate will not give authorisation for the production of plastic bags within the area. Back in 2017, The Egyptian Ministry of Environment launched an EU-funded initiative called “Enough Plastic Bags” which aims to eliminate the country’s dependency on plastic bags, due to their negative effects on the environment and the economy.

Additionally, the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) will launch an awareness campaign about negative impacts concerning plastic on marine life and human health. The campaign will include on-ground activation, with events, and also public figures who will give lectures to public and private schools. HEPCA will also have clean-up teams for islands, beaches, and underwater in collaboration with schools, diving centres, and the Red Sea community.

The main goal of this campaign is to encourage people to go environmental friendly and reduce their consumption of plastic bags as they should always be aware of the actions they take cornering the ecosystem.