Ethiopia passes bill to ban single-use plastic bags!
On June 3, the House of Peoples' Representatives (lower house of the federal parliament) of Ethiopia passed a bill to ban single-use plastic bags in the country.
The bill states that plastic bags are increasingly becoming a major source of environmental pollution. According to the bill, individuals who use single-use plastic bags will face a fine of up to 5,000 Ethiopian birr (about US$37), while manufacturers, importers and sellers may face more severe penalties or have their licenses revoked.
"This move is necessary and we should have taken it long ago," said Gemedo Dalai, Ethiopia's Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. "Plastic pollution is clogging our rivers, poisoning livestock and polluting farmland. Ethiopia must take immediate action to prevent the situation from becoming uncontrollable."
It is reported that the country will soon launch a nationwide publicity campaign aimed at popularizing the details of the new law to the public. According to the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Agency, plastic bags account for about 46% of the plastic waste generated by the country's people.
