Ethiopia enforces nationwide single-use plastic bag ban
Key takeaways
- Ethiopia’s Solid Waste Management and Disposal Proclamation has taken effect after a six-month grace period, banning single-use plastic bags.
- The ban imposed fines and prison terms for commercial violations.
- Researchers indicate that enforcement alone will not ensure success, highlighting the need for socio-cultural adaptation, accessible alternatives, education, and inclusive policy design.
Ethiopia has officially banned the use of single-use plastic bags to tackle pollution and strengthen sustainable waste management practices.
The Solid Waste Management and Disposal Proclamation, approved by the Ethiopian House of Peoples’ Representatives in June last year, has now taken effect following the end of a six-month grace period.
“Any individual who uses or intends to use a plastic bag shall be subject to a fine of no less than Br2,000 (US$12.9) and no more than Br5,000 (US$32.2),” states the proclamation.
Anyone who “manufactures, imports, distributes, sells, stores, or possesses plastic bags for commercial purposes shall be subject to a fine of no less than Br50,000 (US$322) and no more than Br200,000 (US$1,288), along with a term of rigorous imprisonment not exceeding five years.”
Fostering behavioral transitions
According to data from the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), plastic bags account for 46% of all plastic waste generated in the country.
A study published in Cambridge Prisms: Plastics, suggests that compliance with the single-plastic bag ban in Ethiopia will depend on more than enforcement. Researchers argue that a socio-cultural and economic process is required. Tailored communication, accessible alternatives, and inclusive policy design can support the reduction of single-use plastic waste, the report suggests.
The study also points out that noncompliance persists in Ethiopia due to structural barriers and behavioral inertia, highlighting the need for a coordinated, bottom-up approach incorporating education, economic support, and participatory governance.
Before the approval of the proclamation, Ethiopia introduced a national pollution prevention campaign, aiming to educate all segments of society on proper disposal practices to prevent plastic pollution.
Plastic packaging pollution in Ethiopia has caused animal welfare concerns. Last year, a research initiative was launched to investigate the problem of plastic ingestion among donkeys.
