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Tanzania bans Plastic Bags

CFC

CFC

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Several nations in East Africa have started banning plastic bags now. It's a shame those in the West haven't yet followed their example - or shown any signs of doing so in the foreseeable future. I love that they even require tourists to surrender plastic bags upon entry - treating these products for the sort of danger they actually represent.


www.dw.com

Tanzania bans plastic bags – DW – 06/01/2019

Under new measures, anyone using plastic bags in Tanzania can be slapped with a fine, and those caught manufacturing the items can get jail time. Environmentalists are celebrating the move.
www.dw.com www.dw.com
 
Plastic bags aren't banned in Victoria per se, but you know have to pay for them and they tend to actually be thicker, multiple use bags (that most people probably use once). Still, anything to make folks think a bit more about their consumption, I like it.

The Tanzanian idea is better though. Ban them and fine people that use them rather than meekly and weakly disincentive them.
 
Mikeybd27 said:
Where I live in Northampton mass there is a ban in the city limits.
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That's pretty cool. I hope others follow your lead.

swilow said:
Plastic bags aren't banned in Victoria per se, but you know have to pay for them and they tend to actually be thicker, multiple use bags (that most people probably use once). Still, anything to make folks think a bit more about their consumption, I like it.

The Tanzanian idea is better though. Ban them and fine people that use them rather than meekly and weakly disincentive them.
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Yeah it's the same scheme here in the UK - you pay 5p (about 10c) for a 'reuseable' plastic bag and can no longer get those very thin free ones at the till anymore.

But honestly, I see people buying them every time they shop, out of laziness for the most part, and ignoring the small cost disincentive. They're talking about doubling the cost, but really this should be taken more seriously and they should just ban them.

The reusable bag idea has been a 'big thing' for at least 15 years now, more than enough time to remember to bring your own bag. They could always sell paper bags or let customers use their empty cardboard boxes if they forget to bring one.
 
CFC said:
They're talking about doubling the cost, but really this should be taken more seriously and they should just ban them.
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Totally agree. Really all this does is create an industry for heavy plastic bags that are probably worse for the environment in the long term. Reusable bags are one of those bullshit beaurocratic policies of appeasement that end up simply maintaining the problem- at best.

A bookshop I live make cloth book bags, I've bought about 5 which is what I use. They are getting ratty but they do the trick.
 
Me and my family quit using plastic bags. We use these reusable bags that are made of a fabric type material. Been using the same ones for years without any problems. I doubt we have made any contribution because MILLIONSSSSS of people still use plastic, but I guess it helps a little (and when I say little, i mean microscopicly).
 
Chris42393 said:
Me and my family quit using plastic bags. We use these reusable bags that are made of a fabric type material. Been using the same ones for years without any problems. I doubt we have made any contribution because MILLIONSSSSS of people still use plastic, but I guess it helps a little (and when I say little, i mean microscopicly).
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It does help, for sure

swilow said:
all this does is create an industry for heavy plastic bags
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Exactly, despite all the media interest and public outcry about plastic, the plastics industry is planning for a massive increase in production over the next decade!

This has been the strategy of the chemicals, plastics and packaging industry ever since the 1950s though. They are the ones who pushed hard for those 'litterbug' type campaigns, to try and make the individual - and not industry - responsible for pollution and waste and so evade being fined or curtailed by governments.

It was a very effective strategy of manipulation and a clever PR stunt. But the only way to really tackle this stuff is to push the costs directly onto industry, as well as the restrictions and bans. As soon as you force industry to price the true costs of their pollution in, it hurts their profit margin and market mechanisms do the rest.
 
Chris42393 said:
Me and my family quit using plastic bags. We use these reusable bags that are made of a fabric type material. Been using the same ones for years without any problems. I doubt we have made any contribution because MILLIONSSSSS of people still use plastic, but I guess it helps a little (and when I say little, i mean microscopicly).
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congratulations you saved 5 metres of ice in the north pole but unfortunately I have destroyed over a mile with littering and spillage

fuck you penguins
 
This is great. My girl and I use cloth bags that we have in the closet. Occasionally I stop by the store without one (although she keeps them in her car and when I can drive again so will I). It's so absurd you can't even recycle them. Such a fucking waste and such a fucking mess. Another example of an industry actively contributing to serious environmental problems, knowing they are doing so, for profit. This is the problem with humanity, is people doing stupid, destructive, horrible things knowingly, for profit.
 
Pete556 said:
congratulations you saved 5 metres of ice in the north pole but unfortunately I have destroyed over a mile with littering and spillage

fuck you penguins
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Lol :devilish: But think of the ????'s


Shadowmeister said:
This is great. My girl and I use cloth bags that we have in the closet. Occasionally I stop by the store without one (although she keeps them in her car and when I can drive again so will I). It's so absurd you can't even recycle them. Such a fucking waste and such a fucking mess. Another example of an industry actively contributing to serious environmental problems, knowing they are doing so, for profit. This is the problem with humanity, is people doing stupid, destructive, horrible things knowingly, for profit.
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Yeah, it's really not hard to do. Destroying the planet for such minor convenience is utterly insane.

In other related good news, it looks like major retailers are trying to cash in on what small High Street stores have been pioneering for a few years now:

www.theguardian.com

Waitrose launches packaging-free trial

Oxford store offers refillable options for items such as alcohol, rice and cleaning materials
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

I'm incredibly cynical about this, and Waitrose is one of the worst for packing every single apple in several layers of plastic, but nevertheless, they all need to do this yesterday.
 
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