Moshi embraces total plastic bag ban

Moshi town

MOSHI Municipal Council has passed a by-law in a bid to control the use of plastic bags that have been contributing to environmental pollution in the municipality of Moshi.

Moshi Mayor Raymond Mboya urged the councillors to vote on the matter. Out of the 28 voters, 16 opted to support the matter while 10 councillors voted against it.

Two votes got spoiled. Earlier during the discussion on how best to pass the bylaw, some councillors opposed the adoption of such a law. They wanted the municipalities to focus on enlightening members of the public on the use of bags.

The argument lasted more than 30 minutes. Mr Mboya said that the law, which will mainly involve the traders dealing in plastic bags which do not decay, will prompt them to pay a 50,000/- fine if they infringe it.

He said that apart from the traders being fined 50,000/- once found with the bags in their stores, citizens should be aware that plastic bags have serious health effects.

The Councillor from Soweto Ward Mr Colins Tamimu said it is expected that the bylaw passed will reduce the harmful effects of plastic bags, which has become a big problem as it brings health consequences and blocks the drainage system.

In many countries of the world, there has been a phase-out of lightweight plastic bags. Single-use plastic shopping bags, commonly made from high-density polyethylene plastic, have traditionally been given free to customers by stores when purchasing goods.

This is a popular method considered a strong, cheap, and hygienic way of transporting items. Governments all over the world have taken action to ban the sale of lightweight bags, charge customers for lightweight bags or generate taxes from the stores who sell them.

The Bangladesh government was the first to do so in 2002, imposing a total ban on the bag. Such a ban has also been applied in countries such as Rwanda, China, Taiwan and Macedonia.

Some countries in Western Europe impose a fee per bag. Plastic bags cause many minor and major issues in geographical terms. The most general issue with plastic bags is the amount of waste produced.

Many plastic bags end up on streets and are considered by many to be aesthetically displeasing. Even when disposed of properly, they take many years to decompose and break down, generating large amounts of garbage over long periods of time.

If not disposed of properly the bags can pollute waterways, clog sewers and have been found in oceans affecting the habitat of animals and marine creatures.

Lightweight plastic bags are also blown into trees and other plants and can be mistaken for flowers by animals affecting their diet. Plastic bags break down, but they never biodegrade.