How we try to live without plastic
Published: 01:12 PM,Dec 15,2024 | EDITED : 05:12 PM,Dec 15,2024
Once upon a time... there was a lonely paper bag. It hung in a prominent position on the wall of a supermarket not far from the checkouts and tried to draw attention to itself: Take me, I'm sustainable! I only cost 200 baiza. You can use me again and again... This was written on a sign.
The only problem was that the paper bag had plenty of rivals that cost nothing at all. They were made of white plastic and at every checkout in the supermarket there was a friendly man who packed all the shopping in these free bags. Does that sound familiar? And how many customers do you think decided to take up the attractive offer of the paper bag? Or who bought one of their sisters made of recycled material, colourfully but modestly hanging somewhere at the checkouts?
I think everyone who goes shopping in Oman knows the answer. And what I am describing here did not happen in the past — it is omnipresent.
This is particularly surprising for Europeans and especially for Germans. After all, we have banned plastic bags from supermarkets by law, and even at the fruit and vegetable counter there are nets made from recycled material that are supposed to be reused. And as you know, when something is prohibited in Germany, people generally comply. At the supermarket checkouts, we therefore put our shopping in bags that we have brought with us, preferably made of cotton, linen or paper.
For three years now, all straws, cotton buds, plastic cutlery, to-go cups, fast food boxes and other single-use plastic products have been banned in the EU. Alternatives are made of glass or cardboard (this also applies to straws, sometimes a long noodle is used for drinking instead), cutlery for meals on the go is made of wood.
Of course, we can't avoid plastic entirely. For example, there are to-go cups for coffee made of solid plastic, which we refill. Some restaurants offer sturdy to-go boxes for meals for a fee, which can be washed at home and brought back. In this way, we try to prevent mountains of plastic from piling up, all of which has to be recycled. As guests, we think this is surely also in the interests of the Omanis... Less is more — which in this case means: less plastic in the form of bags and packaging can only mean a plus for the environment. After all, we see the plastic bags flying around in the landscape, the plastic bottles on the beach... and nobody wants them in a beautiful country like Oman, or so we think...
Perhaps you will consider the offer of a paper bag the next time you go to the supermarket. And when we meet at the checkout, please don't look surprised when I take my cloth bag to put the groceries in. Now you know what's going on in my head... let's talk about it.
The only problem was that the paper bag had plenty of rivals that cost nothing at all. They were made of white plastic and at every checkout in the supermarket there was a friendly man who packed all the shopping in these free bags. Does that sound familiar? And how many customers do you think decided to take up the attractive offer of the paper bag? Or who bought one of their sisters made of recycled material, colourfully but modestly hanging somewhere at the checkouts?
I think everyone who goes shopping in Oman knows the answer. And what I am describing here did not happen in the past — it is omnipresent.
This is particularly surprising for Europeans and especially for Germans. After all, we have banned plastic bags from supermarkets by law, and even at the fruit and vegetable counter there are nets made from recycled material that are supposed to be reused. And as you know, when something is prohibited in Germany, people generally comply. At the supermarket checkouts, we therefore put our shopping in bags that we have brought with us, preferably made of cotton, linen or paper.
For three years now, all straws, cotton buds, plastic cutlery, to-go cups, fast food boxes and other single-use plastic products have been banned in the EU. Alternatives are made of glass or cardboard (this also applies to straws, sometimes a long noodle is used for drinking instead), cutlery for meals on the go is made of wood.
Of course, we can't avoid plastic entirely. For example, there are to-go cups for coffee made of solid plastic, which we refill. Some restaurants offer sturdy to-go boxes for meals for a fee, which can be washed at home and brought back. In this way, we try to prevent mountains of plastic from piling up, all of which has to be recycled. As guests, we think this is surely also in the interests of the Omanis... Less is more — which in this case means: less plastic in the form of bags and packaging can only mean a plus for the environment. After all, we see the plastic bags flying around in the landscape, the plastic bottles on the beach... and nobody wants them in a beautiful country like Oman, or so we think...
Perhaps you will consider the offer of a paper bag the next time you go to the supermarket. And when we meet at the checkout, please don't look surprised when I take my cloth bag to put the groceries in. Now you know what's going on in my head... let's talk about it.