KUWAIT CITY, Jan 16: Director of Public Relations and Media Department at the Environment Public Authority, Sheikha Al- Ibrahim, said the Union of Cooperative Societies has been urged to replace single-use plastic bags with environmentally friendly bags, noting that coordination has been established with the union to stop the use of plastic bags and replace them as soon as possible with environmentally friendly bags, reports Al-Jarida daily.

Al-Ibrahim told the daily the Union of Cooperative Societies was provided with an environmentally friendly bag, pointing out that the authority distributed one million environmentally friendly bags to cooperative societies in all governorates, with the aim of mitigating plastic damage to the environment. She added this initiative came with the support of the Environmental Protection Fund as part of the efforts made towards establishing a better environment, pointing out that it is a qualitative step, stressing that the EPA has manufactured environmentally friendly bags, and distributed them to cooperatives as an alternative to single-use bags that put a great burden on the environment.

Supplied
She explained the EPA launched this campaign last October, and is continuing it until all cooperative societies are supplied with environmentally friendly bags with the aim of reducing the use of plastic bags. Al-Ibrahim indicated that this campaign contributes to preserving the environment and mitigating the harmful effects caused by the current plastic bags, which contain toxic substances. She stated the bag manufactured by the EPA was selected and analyzed in the laboratory center of the authority, and it was proven that it is 100% environmentally friendly, as it is made of calcium carbonate, and it carries ten kilograms.

Meanwhile, the decision of the Environment Public Authority (EPA) regarding the entry fees for nature reserves and ecological parks – KD2 each for those above 10 years old and KD1 for those who are 10 years old and below – has been published in the Official Gazette, reports Al- Rai daily. These reserves constitute more than 12 percent of the country’s total area, which could increase in accordance with the policy and requirements of the State. The number of such reserves reached 10, including eight for wildlife as follows: Al-Khuwaisat Reserve (Al-Jahra), Sabah Al-Ahmad Nature Reserve, Al-Sulaibikhat Gulf Reserve (Doha), Umm Naqa Reserve, Umm Qadir Reserve, Wadi Al- Batin Reserve, Al-Huwaimliah Reserve and Saad Reserve. In addition to two wildlife reserves categorized as ecological enclosure and the center of wildlife in Liyah and Qurain; there are two marine reserves – Mubarak Al-Kabeer Reserve and Sulaibikhat Marine Reserve.