My kitchen bin in my Adagio apartment in Dubai

My regular readers will know that I have not written many new blogs for the last month in Dubai. I guess you get into a routine when the initial excitement wears off, of visiting new places. On a two month stay, which I am nearing the end of, you go out less and it just becomes another place you live. So something of significance has to happen for me to want to write a blog.

The tallest big wheel in the world- Ain Dubai

I have always admired Dubai- the Leadership's vision to make it a world class tourist destination, the amazing events they put on to attract tourists like Expo 2020, Global village , Miracle gardens and the like. They have the biggest everything- Ain Dubai, Burj Khalifa and so on. They have the best hotels in the world- Burj Al Arab, the worlds only 7 star hotel being just one example. The Malls are incredible - Mall of the Emirates with its indoor ski slope, Dubai Mall ( the biggest in the world) and so on. The public transport system is a shining example to other Gulf Countries with their Metro, Trams, water taxis, Buses, taxis and a train link to Abu Dhabi planned.

A plastic container of yogurt , granola and fruit from Java Café

So why oh why do they not bother to recycle and more importantly reduce the amount of plastic? Just look at my bin above! Adagio provides 5 bottles of water twice a week. ( see below) . I buy another 12 litre bottles, and then there is fruit juice and all the food you get wrapped in plastic ( The Longanisa is in cling film then plastic , and then is placed in a plastic bag!) . If I go down to the Java café all the sandwiches and salads are wrapped in plastic. ( see above)

I get 10 of these a week in my apartment- currently I have 12 in my fridge

There are a few token efforts to encourage recycling like the bins for paper , plastic and cans at the Metro stations and at Expo 2020 but in the Novotel and adjoining Adagio , nothing!

Let us do the Math:

Novotel Al Barsha:

465 rooms, 100 interconnecting family rooms, 89 fully furnished suites

( source: https://all.accor.com/hotel/6535/index.en.shtml accessed 28.1.22)

Aparthotel Adagio Premium Dubai Al Barsha

199 apartments

( source: https://all.accor.com/hotel/9221/index.en.shtml accessed 28.1.22)

So that's 853 rooms in one building ( and some of the apartments are 2 or 3 rooms) but let is keep it simple... 853 rooms x 10 bottles of water a week that's 8530 plastic bottles thrown away a week ( and that's without the bars and restaurants and meeting rooms.

The conditioner and body lotion I have been given by Adagio- all unused

Add to that all the shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion containers and all the plastic wrapping for the sandwiches and fruit salad and yogurt and granola!

The solution is simple and adopted by other hotels in the Accor group in Dubai where have stayed this vacation ( IDIS Al Barsha) and many other hotels around the world. You provide a large container of liquid soap and another of shampoo fixed by the washbasin and in the shower and refilled by the Room attendants weekly. When I stayed at the Arabian courtyard in Dubai the ice machine was on each floor, why not have a water cooler on each floor? No more plastic bottles. This has been implemented in El Nido in Palawan for many years with every staff member having a water beaker with their name on that they fill from a central water cooler. We even implemented this for the staff and Diploma students at the Oil and Gas academy in Bahrain. Or give the room attendants trolleys with recycling bins on and put bins for plastic and cans in the rooms and apartments.

I hope someone will read my blog and take action. International hotel giants like Accor ( who own and operate Adagio and Novotel in Dubai and who have over 5,100 hotels in over 100 countries throughout the world) should be leading the way!

Thanks for reading

PS- great news- on 8.2.22 I read:

Dubai to impose tariff on single-use plastic bags from July 1

Well done Dubai, leading the way as usual!:

"The Executive Council of Dubai has approved a policy to impose a tariff of 25 fils on single-use bags for carrying goods starting July 1, 2022.

The tariff will be implemented in all stores across Dubai including, retail, textile and electronic stores, as well as restaurants, pharmacies, and will be applicable on online and e-commerce deliveries too.

Subsequently, the policy will be evaluated over several stages until single-use carry bags are completely banned over a span of two years."

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-ae/money/news/dubai-to-impose-tariff-on-single-use-plastic-bags-from-july-1/ar-AATz0v9?ocid=msedgntp ( accessed 8.2.22)