Cameroon is about to lunch a campaign to discourage the use of plastics bags following the improved regulations of the environmental management for sustainable development Act, No 2 of 1996. Plastic bags are one of the most common items in an African's everyday life. So, what are the implications for those who depend on its importation and distribution as a source of revenue and income?.
Plastic bag manufacturers are engaged in a well funded battle to maintain an unregulated marketplace for their product. Cities generally lack the funding and central organization available to the industry and are faced with a steep learning curve regarding the complexities of plastic bag laws, which is often accompanied by the threat of litigation.
We all know plastic bags are terrible for the environment, but that's not the only problem, discarded plastic bags kill hundreds of marine animals every year and hurt the tourism industry. Typically when people think of the plastic bag bans, they think of the marine life plastic kills. What they don’t realize is how much oil it takes to make those bags, and the other environmental hazards they cause in addition to threatening our own health and safety.
Plastic bags block storm drains contributing to floods, leak toxic chemicals into our water and soil, as well as killing marine life, birds, and cows by starvation and suffocation. 1998, in Bangladesh, plastic bags were discovered to be the main cause of the devastating floods. There were over 1000 deaths in 1998 as two thirds of the country was submerged.
Governments all over the world have taken action to either ban the sale of lightweight bags, charge customers for lightweight bags or generate taxes from the stores who sell them. Major countries such as South Africa, China, Taiwan and Macedonia have a total ban on the bag .
It is reported that the law enforcers in Cameroon and other African countries will have no mercy with importers and distributors of plastic bags.
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