Plastic bag ban creates new opportunities in Tanzania

 

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – Tanzania's three-year-old blanket ban on plastic bags has unleashed a massive market potential for eco-friendly paper bags, creating new opportunities for local traders to profit.

Tanzania banned single-use plastic bags in June 2019, making it illegal to use, manufacture, or import thin polyethylene bags, with offenders facing jail time or a hefty fine.

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According to officials, the new policy has had a positive impact because alternative paper bags and packaging materials are now available in several marketing centers.

"The plastic ban was a blessing in disguise; even though I lost some money, switching to paper bag business is more profitable," entrepreneur hawker Lilian Kamnyoge told Anadolu Agency ahead of World Paper Bag Day on July 12.

Kamnyoge claims the ban has made her more creative, and she is working hard to supply paper bags to hotels, restaurants, and bars in Dar es Salaam, the nation's capital.

"Many people are becoming accustomed to paper bags, and thin plastic bags are nowhere to be found," she explained.

According to residents, the ubiquitous single-use plastic bags, which had become a tricky enemy, have largely vanished in the port city.

"The government has succeeded in eliminating the plastic bag menace, and people will learn to care for the environment with ongoing education," Kamnyonge said.

Toxic substances

For decades, scientists have warned about the dangers of plastic bags, which not only pollute the ocean but also release toxic chemicals into the environment and contaminate food webs.

While the East African country strives to eliminate plastic waste by 2030, experts warn that single-use paper bags, which are now widely used, can be just as harmful.

"When you ban plastic bags, you must ensure that reusable alternatives are environmentally friendly, which is not the case," environmental activist Gregory Isaac said.

He told Türkiye's news agency that the ban should aim to change consumer behavior in order to be more effective.

"It's a good start, but we still have a long way to go because even re-usable thick plastic is bad for the environment in the end," he said.

While the ban has resulted in significant losses for manufacturers and traders, observers believe it has opened up new opportunities for businesses.

"I have seen a 30% growth in our business in the last two years, and if the polyethylene ban is properly enforced, our business is bound to grow even more," Fayaz Hirji, owner of Cutex, a Dar es Salaam-based paper bag manufacturer and supplier, told Anadolu Agency.

Raising awareness

Hirji entered the paper bag manufacturing business five years ago and said demand began to rise two years ago due to increased awareness of the environmental dangers posed by plastic bags and consumer willingness to use a cleaner alternative.

The company manufactures a wide range of paper bags, including shopping bags and paper gift bags.

According to Hirji, brown paper bags are the most popular among business owners and residents.

"We supply many businesses with paper bags and envelopes for takeaway food packaging," he said.

Tanzania has toughened penalties for those caught producing, selling, or importing single-use thin polyethylene bags, but the country is still grappling with plastic waste.

Thin polyethylene bags have vanished from the bustling Tegeta open air market on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam, having been banned by the national plastic bag ban.

Perishables are packed in thicker bags made of synthetic fabric by market traders, while others use paper bags.

Plastic that is long-lasting

Zuhura Kajuna, 26, prepares to arrange her vegetables on a maze of wooden stalls with her baby strapped in the back on a humid morning.

She quickly unpacks canvas sacks of tomatoes, onions, ginger, and cucumbers and places them on the stall under an umbrella shade to protect them from the hot sun.

On a motorcycle, a man appears and drops off paper and reusable plastic bags at Kajuna's stall.

The bags are environmentally friendly, according to Kajuna, because they are made of thick plastic that is more durable and easier to recycle.

"I wouldn't call the ban on plastic bags a complete success because we still use them, albeit thicker and of higher quality," Kajuna told Anadolu Agency.

Since Tanzania implemented a plastic bag ban with harsher penalties in 2019, alternative paper bags are widely used in markets and shopping centers. (Anadolu)

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