Since the establishment of his restaurant, Dallas, in the Zahiya neighbourhood of Abu Dhabi in 1984, Mohammed Anwar has considered Styrofoam cups an integral part of his business. But over the past three years, he has progressively removed them from his store.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, he stated, “Authorities informed us that placing hot items in these cups could release harmful chemicals.” “Since learning about this, we have been phasing them out gradually.”
Abu Dhabi declared on Tuesday that as of June 1, single-use Styrofoam items such as plates, cups, lids, drink containers, and food containers would no longer be allowed. The program supports the objectives of the Year of Sustainability and is an extension of the Abu Dhabi Single-Use Plastic Policy.
Anwar did acknowledge that his restaurant’s bottom line was impacted by the decision to replace the Styrofoam cups. He declared, “Styrofoam containers and utensils are very cheap.” “All of its substitutes, such as aluminium containers and paper plates or cups, are significantly more costly. Small cafeterias in rural areas that have continued to use polystyrene will have to increase their prices if they decide to switch to alternatives. We have already stopped using them and have adjusted our prices to reflect this over the last few years.
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