Egypt's Foreign Ministry Urges Citizens Visiting Tanzania to Abide by Plastic Bag Ban

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry has urged citizens travelling to Tanzania to abide by the east African country's sweeping new reforms on the use of single-use plastics that has see a countrywide ban on production, importation and sale of plastic bags come into effect this month.

Tourists visiting Tanzania have been asked to dispose of non-recyclable plastic before entry, with ziplock bags in airport security procedures the only exception. Foreign offices and ministries around the world have urged their citizens to follow the ban when visiting. As of 2016, Tanzania hosts a whopping 1,284,279 visitors/year from all around the world.

Tanzania is the latest country to implement such an initiative, joining sixty other counties including China, France, Rwanda, Italy and Kenya,the latter of which has gone as far as to impose four years imprisonments or fines of $40,000 for any culprits selling, producing, or so as much carrying a plastic bag. 

Egypt is also among several countries - regionally and internationally - to begin implementing single-use plastic bans, with the Red Sea governorate set to put its own ban into action this month. The ban will effect some of Egypt's most famed holiday locations, beaches including Hurghada and Marsa Allam. It's estimated that plastic constitutes 6% of Egypt's annual waste output of 16.2 million tons.

Main image courtesy of AgroNature