Law banning use of plastic materials to be enforced soon

With less than a month before the end of the use of non-biodegradable materials, Bujumbura residents continue to use plastic bags widely. Minister of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock claims to be fully prepared for the law enforcement.

Déo Guide Rurema, Minister of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock “investors already established companies in Burundi that have started manufacturing paper packaging that will replace plastic bags,”

They say the government has the role to ban plastic materials marketing. “If I go to the market to buy different items, shopkeepers pack them up in plastic bags, I have no choice. If they are no longer on the market, I will use paper bags, “says a resident from one northern neighborhood of Bujumbura city. He, however, recognizes that the Burundian government has prohibited the use and marketing of plastic bags.

As for the traders, they give the same opinion. “Our suppliers continue to bring plastic packaging. We believe that if the measure banning the use of non-biodegradable materials is fully enforced, we will source from paper packaging manufacturers,” says Eric, a shopkeeper.

Bujumbura residents are aware of the law adopted by the government banning the use of non-biodegradable plastic packaging but are waiting for the government to apply it by forbidding the import of these products.

Déo Guide Rurema, Minister of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock indicates investors already established companies in Burundi that have started manufacturing paper packaging that will replace plastic bags.

“They are already used in various shops in Bujumbura,” said Minister Rurema who plans to visit soon those companies. He said the Ministry will soon organize consultations with investors, traders and the population to listen to their grievances before implementing the law. “If we find that their stocks are not yet sold out, we can give them an extra week or more. We will judge according to the grievances of the population.

He calls on investors to get involved in manufacturing biodegradable bags and recycling plastic objects to contribute to the protection of the environment.

The government of Burundi banned the use and marketing of plastic materials in August 2018, allowing an 18-month period for consumers and retailers to finish their stock. The law is expected to be fully enforced since 8 February 2020.