The Council of Ministers has approved a draft law to ban the import and production of single-use plastic materials. The bill, now heading to Parliament for final approval, targets the replacement of plastic bags with a thickness of less than 0.03 mm.
Single-use plastics refer to items designed to be used once before disposal. This includes commonly used items like bags, bottles, wrappers, and straws, predominantly used in packaging and service ware.
According to Ethiopia’s National Plastic Waste Management Strategy and Roadmap (2024-2034), single-use plastics constituted just 3% of total solid waste in urban areas a decade ago. However, recent data indicates this figure has doubled to 6%.
Additionally, Euro-map 2022 data shows Ethiopia’s per capita plastic consumption rose from 0.6 kg in 2007 to 2.6 kg in 2021.
This increase has made Ethiopia the second-largest importer of plastics in East and Central Africa, spending €17 million annually on plastic packaging imports, with 51% used in packaging and the rest in construction, electronics, and other sectors.
Ethiopia’s efforts to regulate single-use plastics date back to the Solid Waste Management Proclamation No. 513/2007, which prohibited the production, import, and use of plastic bags thinner than 0.03 mm unless they met biodegradable standards. However, enforcement has been weak. A compliance study found that 14 of 21 inspected manufacturers were producing substandard plastic bags, and most bags lacked proper labeling.
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