Africa is leading the way in terms of sustainable travel by prohibiting the use of single-use plastics
Source : Times Travel
Date : 28th April, 2022
Date : 28th April, 2022
Globally, there is a concerted push to phase out the usage and manufacture of single-use plastic. Bangladesh was the first country to outlaw thin, single-use plastic in 2002. Several countries followed suit, enacting partial or whole bans on the use of plastic or levying a charge on all single-use plastic items. The goal of the struggle against plastic pollution is to save the planet we live in from extinction, not only to make our surroundings appear nicer and cleaner.
Plastic that we throw away ends up on our land and in the water, two major sources of food for us to exist. A typical plastic object has a lifespan of up to 1000 years, plastic bottles 450 years, and plastic bags 20 years.
When the rest of the globe is battling for a cleaner, more environmentally friendly world, Africa is leading in setting a new standard for the rest of the world. Around 77 countries have passed complete or partial bans on single-use plastics, with 34 countries in Africa alone
Tanzania, Kenya, Mali, Cameroon, Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Morocco, South Africa, Rwanda, and Botswana all have severe anti-single-use plastic legislation. They are either outright prohibited or subject to a hefty levy imposed by the government.
Tanzania has taken things a step further by announcing that visitors would no longer be allowed to bring plastic bags into the nation as of 2019. All plastic carriers, regardless of thickness, fall into this category. They also make announcements in-flight to hand over any plastic bags. Travellers can surrender any type of plastic bag at special stations set up at airports and border crossings. Ziplock bags used as toiletries are the only exception, as long as you take them out of Tanzania with you. Instead of plastic carry bags, travellers are encouraged to bring cloth ones.
Plastic that we throw away ends up on our land and in the water, two major sources of food for us to exist. A typical plastic object has a lifespan of up to 1000 years, plastic bottles 450 years, and plastic bags 20 years.
When the rest of the globe is battling for a cleaner, more environmentally friendly world, Africa is leading in setting a new standard for the rest of the world. Around 77 countries have passed complete or partial bans on single-use plastics, with 34 countries in Africa alone
Tanzania, Kenya, Mali, Cameroon, Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Morocco, South Africa, Rwanda, and Botswana all have severe anti-single-use plastic legislation. They are either outright prohibited or subject to a hefty levy imposed by the government.
Tanzania has taken things a step further by announcing that visitors would no longer be allowed to bring plastic bags into the nation as of 2019. All plastic carriers, regardless of thickness, fall into this category. They also make announcements in-flight to hand over any plastic bags. Travellers can surrender any type of plastic bag at special stations set up at airports and border crossings. Ziplock bags used as toiletries are the only exception, as long as you take them out of Tanzania with you. Instead of plastic carry bags, travellers are encouraged to bring cloth ones.
