Tanzania: The government bans disposable plastic products and promotes ecological centers

Thirty-three, so far, are the African states that have banned the use of plastic bags to try to reduce the misuse of plastic in our lives.

From 1 June 2019 also Tanzania joined this small army that tries to do something to stem the sea of disposable plastic that is clogging the environment.

But the country is also trying to take a few more steps in the context of a consistent and respectful use of plastic, in fact it is also studying how to solve the problem of disposing of a huge daily production of waste in its cities.

The problem is so felt that the government has involved all available national forces by opening a communication channel also with the environmental youth associations.

The demographic development of cities, such as Dar es Salaam, the cultural capital of Tanzania, which has seen rapid growth in recent years, and has a population of about 4.3 million registered in the last national census, has a waste collection service for only 30-40% of its citizens.

The country produces around 4,600 tons of waste a day with a forecast to rise to around 12,000 by 2025, so it is clear that the ban on single-use products, among which there are plastic bags, could not be the only one decision to be made in the environmental field.

The government has decided to start from schools to make young people aware that waste, especially plastic waste, is a resource in its reuse and that their dispersion in the environment is a slow collective suicide.

Furthermore, educational programs in elementary schools want to enhance gardening, planting and all forms of environmental conservation