Rwanda proves you can live without plastic bags

On a recent trip to Rwanda, while customs officers were searching my luggage, something of mine was confiscated ---- plastic bags! In 2008, when many countries were still debating whether to tax plastic bags, Rwanda had already boldly banned non-biodegradable plastic bags, and shops all switched to paper bags.

When I stepped from Uganda onto Rwandan soil, I was simply amazed by their clean environment ---- looking out from the bus, unlike other African countries, there were no mountains of garbage, and no plastic bags drifting everywhere in the wind or hanging from the trees. Clearly this "ban" has brought positive benefits.

This ban is one item of the "Vision 2020" plan, which hopes to transform Rwanda into a middle-income and sustainable country. In the future Rwanda may ban even more plastic products, and may even become the first country in the world with no plastic at all. The country's constitution states: every citizen has the right to a healthy and satisfying living environment, and has the "duty and obligation" to protect the environment.

Although many countries have already begun taxing plastic bags, most plastic bags still end up being landfilled or burned, causing air and water pollution. Rwanda decided to completely ban plastic bags, and for a developing economy this is undoubtedly a major decision ---- especially since banning plastic bags may affect the economy. But Rwanda used this opportunity to help many plastic bag manufacturers transform into recycling enterprises, granting them tax breaks, and also created a new market for reusable shopping bags.

The policy has been in place for six years now, and it is very effective. However, plastic bags can still be bought on the black market, and the heavy use of paper bags is another environmental problem. Still, for a developing country to make such an astonishing move, it makes us wonder: if there were an equal amount of political will, what kind of breakthroughs could developed countries achieve?

This article is translated from Think you can’t live without plastic bags?Consider this: Rwanda did it