Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia has decided to bid farewell to single-use plastic bags, aiming to cut down on pollution and join hands with international environmental crusades.
“Plastic bags are no longer welcome here. Anyone caught in the act—using or selling—will be met with the full force of the law,” declared the Police Spokesman Abdifitah Adan Hassan.
The announcement of this ban in February 2024 marks a turning point. It outlaws the import, creation, sale, and use of these pesky plastics. While fines are still a bit foggy, law enforcement and the courts are poised to make it happen.
The pressure on Somalia is immense—cities littered with abandoned plastic bags. Experts assess this industry at over $50 million each year. Businesses are now grappling with finding budget-friendly, eco-conscious replacements. Take Lul Mohamed, a small shop owner in Mogadishu, who’s worried about her business’s future. “Sure, we back the ban, but we seriously need some time and alternatives to phase these bags out,” she remarked.
To address the uproar, the Somali government introduced a five-month grace period, allowing businesses to tweak their strategy and explore new options. Nonetheless, specialists believe sky-high electricity prices and the scarcity of cost-effective substitutes make this transition rough. Abdi Hirsi Ali, who heads Africansolution—a Mogadishu business crafting sustainable products—shared with the BBC, “For alternatives to really take off, the government needs to drop electricity costs and back local production.”
Back in the day, woven baskets and mats were the go-to for Somalis hauling their wares. Then, shopping trends shifted, and plastic snuck in, lured by its affordability and availability. Retailers spurred this change by offering gratis plastic bags to shoppers.
Across the pond, nations like the UK once dangled plastic bags for free, but quickly pivoted to charging a small coin to push for reuse and curb waste. This move has shrunk plastic usage in many places.
A sturdy, traditional woven basket—widely used in Somalia before the plastic era—stands as a beacon of returning to eco-conscious customs now that single-use plastics face the axe.
While the ban gleans a thumbs-up from many, some Mogadishu folks fret over the slim pickings for replacements. Mohamed Nur Hussein hailed the decision, underscoring the havoc wreaked on livestock and urban locales. “Nationwide enforcement would bring massive benefits,” he voiced.
The Somali government’s move slots into a global blueprint to tackle the negative impacts of plastic on ecosystems, public health, and livestock. Diplomatic talks are ongoing to draft a pact on plastic pollution, with the UN setting sights on a deal in South Korea by December 2024. Around the globe, nations like Rwanda, Kenya, and India have already rolled out equivalent bans. Rwanda led the way back in 2008, morphing Kigali into one of Africa’s squeaky-clean capitals. Kenya followed in 2017, instituting some of the planet’s most stringent penalties for plastic violators, from steep fines to jail time. UNEP reports 19 to 23 million tonnes of plastic waste seep into aquatic systems yearly, akin to 2,000 garbage trucks unloading their cargo into our waters daily.
Now part of the East African Community (EAC), Somalia’s ban is a bid to sync up with regional eco-guidelines. Yet, enforcing this will be a hefty feat, especially in a nation where informal trade runs rampant.
The reasoning behind nixing plastic bags is crystal clear on the green front, but health hazards are equally troubling. A Geneva Environmental Network study highlights noxious substances within plastics, linked to cancer, hormonal disruptions, and hampered cognitive and reproductive functions.
Edited by: Ali Musa
Axadle international–Monitoring
