fbpx

Cameroon Announces Plan to Phase Out Plastic Bags

Cameroon Announces Plan to Phase Out Plastic Bags

From Voice of America

Authorities in Cameroon have begun rolling out a campaign to eliminate non-degradable plastic bags by early next year.

The measure seeks to halt their risk to human and animal life as well as the environment.

Producers, importers and marketers of non-degradable plastic wrappings in Cameroon have until March 2014 to halt their distribution, or face government sanctions.

A decision announced in early August by the Ministry of the Environment states that beyond the end date, violators will risk between two and 10 years imprisonment and fines of up to $20, 000 dollars.

The clampdown was prompted by a 2012 study indicating that some 6 million tons of plastic waste are generated across Cameroon every year.  The report further adds that over half of all plastic-bag users dump them anywhere.

Urban and rural landscapes are littered with discarded tattered plastic bags flapping from roof and treetops, tucked underneath shrubs, littering streets and open fields and clogging drainage systems, the report said.

From Voice of America .