The UAE is all set to phase-out plastic bags in the country over the next three years, even as substitutes like jute or paper bags are being suggested to be used by 2012. Following a cabinet decision, the ministry of Environment and Water will educate consumers to use alternatives, media report said here. Substitutes such as jute, paper or biodegradable plastic bags are options being looked into by the Ministry, and they will have to be used by 2012. "This initiative will include six main areas, the most important of which is edu- cation using all media, in all languages & to explain the negative impact of misusing plastic bags," Hunaida Qaid, head of the environmental education section at the Ministry, told the Gulf News. Plastic bags can take hundreds of years to degrade. Earlier this year in February, the Ministry extended its support to a supermarket in the city for the introduction of reusable plastic bags. The Ministry is reportedly now getting ready to lobby the public on how to change their behaviour by introducing alterna-fives to plastic bags.