Dubai Municipality announces the entry into force of the final phase of the ban on single-use plastic products as of January 1, 2026.

In implementation of Executive Council Resolution No. (124) of 2023 regulating the use of single-use products in the Emirate of Dubai, issued by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, Dubai Municipality announced that the final stage of the decision related to banning single-use plastic products will enter into force as of January 1, 2026. This coincides with the implementation of the provisions of Ministerial Resolution No. 380 of the year 2022 regarding regulating the use of single-use products in the country’s markets.

This phase focuses on banning single-use plastic products, which include, but are not limited to: single-use plastic plates, plastic tableware, including chopsticks, plastic beverage cups and their lids, in addition to materials that have been banned in the Emirate of Dubai during the year 2025, which include cups, plates, and polyester containers, single-use plastic stirrers, single-use plastic ear-cleaning sticks, single-use plastic dinner covers, and single-use plastic straws.

Dubai Municipality has prepared a comprehensive awareness guide for the use of single-use products in the Emirate of Dubai to facilitate the selection of alternative materials for target parties.
Dubai Municipality, in coordination with its partners from the Dubai Government, is committed to establishing positive, conscious, sustainable behaviors and practices among groups and segments of society, including individuals and institutions in the government and private sectors, and engaging them in instituting these practices in daily life and the way of living and working in Dubai to continue improving the quality of life and its sustainability for all of the emirate’s community, and making Dubai a leading and more sustainable global city that enhances efforts to preserve the environment, adopt circular and green economy practices, and preserve natural resources for future generations.

Through its partnerships with the government and private sectors, Dubai Municipality works to promote a culture of sustainability and encourage society to adopt responsible behaviors that reduce dependence on plastic. Dubai Municipality also establishes Dubai as a global leader in the field of sustainability and environmental innovation, which reflects positively on the quality of life in the emirate.

Executive Council Resolution No. (124) of 2023 regarding regulating the use of single-use products in the Emirate of Dubai aims to protect the natural environment and local biological and animal wealth, motivate community members to adopt sustainable and environmentally friendly behaviors, spread the culture of using recycled materials, and motivate the private sector and the local market to provide multi-use products, in line with the principles of the circular economy, which aims to reuse materials and products in the local economy in a sustainable manner.

The first phase of the decision was announced on January 1, 2024, and included a ban on single-use plastic bags, with the continuation of the 25 fils tariff on all other bags until June 1, 2024, with which the second phase entered, banning all single-use bags.

As part of completing the implementation of the decision, the third phase began on January 1, 2025, where the scope of the ban was expanded to include a group of single-use products, including: Styrofoam cups, plastic straws, plastic cotton buds, plastic table covers, and food containers made of Styrofoam, in addition to plastic stirring sticks.