Morocco: the second largest plastic bags consumer market in the world puts a ban on plastics
Morocco which comes second after US as the world largest plastic bag consumer has passed a landmark legislation that has put a ban on importing, selling and production of plastic bags in the Kingdom, a move that has caused Moroccan business people to stock up on plastic bags reports Morocco World News.
According to Green campaigners the new legislation will take years to get used to since on average one Moroccan uses 900 plastic bags annually. The Kingdom uses a total of three billion plastic bags in a year.
“The formal sector will need four to five years to comply with the new law,” said Yassine Zegzouti, 30, president of local advocacy organisation Mawarid
Main goal of the legislation is to fight against global warming, a similar sentiment shared by various African countries that have also banned the plastic bag, they include South Africa, Uganda, Somalia, and Rwanda.
The fight against plastic began in 2009 when the parliament then urged the ban on all black plastic bags so as to reduce litter on Morocco’s street and beaches. Morocco has been struggling to clean its streets with plastic bags taking hundreds of years to degrade.
Moulay Hafid Elalamay, Industry Minister said alternative solutions will be available, which includes paper bags and fabric bags.
According to Al Araby,an online publication, written in Arabic, this new legislation could result in the loss of 50,000 jobs in the plastics industry.
According to Al Jazeera, Morocco ranks among one of the greenest countries in the world, alongside Ethiopia, Costa Rica, and Bhutan, which may be due to the kingdom’s crackdown on carbon emissions, along with its ambition to be more environmentally conscious.
