Tanzania to ban single-use plastic bags! [update]

update (16 May 2019): The office of the Vice President of Tanzania has released an official notice to travelers planning to visit Tanzania regarding the ban of plastic carrier bags.

 
Tanzania is set to ban the production, importation, sale and use of all single-use plastic bags by July 2019 from 01 June 2019. Single-use non-biodegradable plastics have been identified by the United Nations as one of the world’s biggest environmental challenges. Tanzania will join its East African neighbours Rwanda and Kenya, which have already banned single-use plastic bags. Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania, implemented a ban of light plastics already back in 2006. Namibia has also banned plastic bags, but only in its game parks and nature reserves!

Namibia bans plastic bags in game parks and nature reserves!

Namibia has banned plastic bag in the county's protected areas, such as National Parks, with immediate effect. If found in possession of plasic bags, visitors will be finded N$500. The amendment to the regulation relating to the Nature Conservation Ordinance, 1974 (4 of 1875) to restrict the use of plastic bags in national parks was alreay approved and gazetted in 2017 (Government Gazette 6285, 13 April 2018, p. 3, 4). Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) is putting in place the necessary systems to enforce the ban of plasic bags.

• (1) No person shall enter a game park or nature reserve with a plastic bag.
• (2) Notwithstanding  subregulation (1), a person may enter a game park or nature reserve with a plastic bag -
• (a) designed to be used for the disposal of waste;
• (b) designed for agricultural purposes;
• (c) used for sampling or analysis;
• (d) that constitutes, or forms an integral part of, the packaging in which goodsare sealed prior to sale in the local market or for export; or
• (e) that is a transparent resealable bag.
• (3) A person who contravenes subregulation (1) commits an offence and is liable to a fine not exceeding N$500 or to imprisonment not exceeding 6 months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.

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Namibia Wildlife Resorts: Plastic bags ban still to be implemented (UPDATE)!

update (18 June 2018): According to the spokesperson of Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET), the ban of plastic bags in national parks in Namibia is not yet being implemented as the ministry is still putting measures and systems in place before enforcement and full implementation. The MET confirmed that an amendment to the regulation relating to the Nature Conservation Ordinance, 1974 (4 of 1875) to restrict the use of plastic bags in national parks was approved and gazetted in 2017.

Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR), the state-owned enterprise mandated to run the tourism facilities within the protected areas of Namibia, has informed its stakeholders that with immediate effect the usage of pastic bags is no longer allowed within the country's National Parks. We'll keep you updated as soon as more information are available.

Dear Seb, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism is the one that banned the usage of plastics. We took it upon ourselves to inform our stakeholders.

— NWR (@NWRNamibia) June 14, 2018