Single-use plastic bags banned in Oman

Muscat: The Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (MECA) has announced a ban on single-use plastic bags with fines of up to OMR2,000 for violations from next year.
According to the Ministry, this decision shall be published in the Official Gazette and shall be enforced from January 1, 2021.
Najib bin Ali Al Rawas, Undersecretary of MECA said in statement, “This decision will contribute greatly to reducing plastic pollution on the local environment, and the Ministry was informed of the experiences of many countries that have applied similar decisions in preventing unilateral consumption of plastic bags, which contributed significantly to preserving the land and marine environment from pollution.”
Commitment
He affirmed that the Ministry is continuing to implement this decision, and will take all appropriate measures to ensure the commitment of companies and commercial institutions in its implementation.
In its Ministerial Resolution No. 23/2020, the MECA says, “Companies and institutions are prohibited from using single-use plastic shopping bags to preserve the Omani environment.” Article 2 of the resolution says, “Without prejudice to more severe penalties listed in the Environmental Protection and Pollution Prevention Law, a fine of no less than one OMR100 and no more than OMR2,000 shall be imposed on anyone who violates the provisions of this decision and doubled in the event of a repeat of the violation.”