ban on the manufacture of plastic bags from September 1

From now on, plastic bags are banned in Tunisia. It’s on his Facebook page (link in Arabic) that the Tunisian Ministry of the Environment announced its decision. From Thursday 1 September, the manufacture of certain types of plastic bags is prohibited. Tunisia intends to favor biodegradable bags. According to the authorities, the country consumes more than a billion plastic bags annually, including nearly 315 million distributed by large commercial brands. These figures go back to 2018. Plastic bags take approximately between one and four centuries to decompose. More than 500 billion plastic bags are consumed each year on the planet.

In Tunisia, the promise of this ban dates back more than two years. The production, possession, import and distribution of plastic bags, of all kinds, obtained free of charge, or with consideration in commercial outlets should be prohibited since March 2020. “The government decree of January 16, 2020 should come into force from March 1, 2020 for shopping centers and pharmacies, and January 1, 2021 for all producers, importers, distributors and holders of plastic bags. But its application was suspended under pressure from professionals in the sector”, explains Realities.

According to OECD estimates, plastic production has increased from 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 460 million tonnes in 2019, generating 353 million tonnes of waste, of which less than 10% is currently recycled and 22% is abandoned in landfills. wild dumps, open burning or discharged into the environment. In Africa, 4.4 million tonnes of plastic end up in the seas and oceans each year, according to the UN.

Africa is a good student in the fight against plastic. Many countries ban single-use bags. Prize for the best student in Rwanda, which banned its use more than 18 years ago.