Cabinet nod for move to ban single-use plastic bags

The Cabinet has approved a draft decision of HE the Minister of Municipality on regulating the use of plastic bags, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reports.The decision stipulates that institutions, companies and shopping centres are prohibited from using single-use plastic bags in packaging, presenting, circulating, carrying or transporting products and merchandise of all kinds.Single-use plastic bags must be replaced with multi-use plastic bags, biodegradable plastic bags, paper or other 'woven' types of bags, as well as other biodegradable materials, according to the decision.This came at the Cabinet's regular meeting Wednesday at the Amiri Diwan, which was chaired by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani.Following the meeting, HE the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Mohamed bin Abdullah al-Sulaiti issued a statement giving the details of the proceedings.The Cabinet also approved a draft agreement between the governments of Qatar and Bangladesh canceling visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, private and official passports.Further, it reviewed the semi-annual report of HE President of the Planning and Statistics Authority and head of the Permanent Population Committee on implementing the recommendations of the committee on population conditions, and took the appropriate decisions on the matter.The committee, in co-ordination with the competent authorities, "undertakes the study of the demographic structure, its characteristics and trends, the proposal of the State's population policy and follow-up to its implementation after its approval, the preparation of studies and research related to the population, aimed at knowing the social reality in the State, the development of population policies and programmes, and a number of other tasks", QNA reported.