About six months ago I read on USA today that San Francisco banned plastic shopping bags. It’s ok with me since I prefer paper anyway.
Although the cashiers do not like it when I request paper instead of plastic because it gives them extra work. Paper is more convenient because it carries more stuff in a stable manner.
The reason according to InHabitat:
With approximately 180 million plastic bags being distributed to shoppers in San Francisco each year, the bags pose an environmental problem as they are difficult to recycle, and often wind up in trees or bodies of water, where they harm ecosystems and kill marine life… not to mention their growing presence in landfills.
So you can imagine the compounded threat Africa faces if San Francisco is having a problem since we do not have the resources to clean.
U.N. Environment Programme’s (UNEP) apparently is taking head and according to an Ethiopian industry officer Desta Mebratu.
The plastic problem is now on the agenda of almost every African country,..“
Ostensibly, the problem is not just the apparent environmental rather that since the 90′s plastic bags became so cheap that South Africa produced 7 billion of them a year. And since plastic bags do not dispose easily “[these] bags block drains and sewage systems and can kill livestock who nibble and digest them.” Facts & Figures.
Whoa, so its a big problem but what surprised me most about the issue is that Africa is dealing with it before the west even attempts to for the most part.
Keep Hope Alive!
Published by February 11th, 2008 in African and Current Issues.
http://www.abesha.wordpress.com
Plastic? Big deal. Let’s be real here, Africans have grander issues to deal with than any plastic could ever bring. I call this issue a distraction. It is almost a non-issue considering the heavy lifting that is left to do on so many other fronts. Need i mention what they are? HIV/ AIDS, Malaria, Malnutrition, Corrupt Governments, Poverty, Lack of Clean Water, and my least favorite Never-Ending Wars.
C’mon,
Plastic? Really?
I wish that was our real worries. We are in no position to even address that issue. I call it a ‘luxury-problem’.
Dr. Ethiopia,
You’ve got to be kidding right? how on earth is it a luxury-problem? Unsanitary conditions give birth to various diseases that exacerbate existing ones. It’s these very plastic bags that block sewage passages and create pools of water that transform into a breeding ground for mosquitoes and as a result malaria.
With regards to malnutrition, how can that problem be addressed if there is NO nutrition? If plastic bags are killing livestock and causing soil erosion and pollution preventing yields in crop, where is the food going to come from to reverse malnutrition.
A heavy plastic tax should be implemented to hit people where it hurts them the most – their wallets!! Then we can go on to carry our purchases the good old African way – on our heads:)
Masinkomelody, very good try. You ought to try harder.
Listen, it’s not that i don’t understand what is at stake here, i do. But i hope you live in the same world as i live in. Because the Africa i came from must be different. To suggest the plastic issue is a crisis in the African continent is, with all due respect, an insult to anyone’s intelligence.
When we’re talking about this ridiculous and luxury problem of plastic, let’s not by any means try to make it sound like a ‘crisis’. The fact remains to be the opposite. I was curious, how many livestocks are we losing per year in Africa due to a plastic clogging their digestive system? Do you have the hard numbers? Let me answer that for you. You don’t. I would love to agree with you, but i honestly can’t. Because this is by no means a ‘crisis’ when compared to our countless dilemmas that we face. That’s all i meant to say.
If you were to tell the livestocks in Africa that their distant cousins are dying from plastic congestion, i think they will have a hard time digesting that story.( No pun intended) If they could talk, they would probably tell you that they are more worried about dying of worms that come from human feces as opposed to a plastic bag that they might accidentally munch on.
Listen, i respect your point of view and i think it is very well said. With that said, i would like to emphasize the fact that this issue is a non-issue compared to what Africa is facing today. See the difference?
Did you say how can we tackle malnutrition when there is NO nutrition? I can’t fathom that type of thinking. I think you know better than that. If you would like for Africa to tackle the plastic issue before any food the people desperately need, my friend i would say you’ve watched Al Gore’s Documentary on climate change more than once.
I think you are an environmentalist. Not that anything is wrong with loving the environment you live in, i just hope we don’t get our priorities mixed.
If Americans were starving and they were faced with countless diseases that kill more than any plastic ever would, i don’t think plastic would be a part of their conversation.
I guess the world i come from is “too real”. In that, we don’t lose sleep over plastic.
By the way, come to think of it, i’ve never typed the word ‘plastic’ in my whole life as much as i have for this response.
Plastic would be proud if it saw this.
I hope i clarified myself, my friend. Thanks for your insight.
http://www.abesha.wordpress.com
Dr. Ethiopia …May you RIP
ha ha ha …serious though ,I agree plastic is an african problem and a serious one.
In Uganda when you buy things they want to give you separete pastic bag for each item. I have seen a similar trend in Ethiopia as well. I think its crazy and has a serious impact on environment. For Africans whose livelihood depends on farming and soil that should be a concern.
Its this faliure to see the connection between things that got us where we are today.I think subsistance living shouldn’t mean subsistance thinking.
Dr Ethiopia,
I thought the problem with plastic is more about the toxic nature of the material than the sewage issue mentioned above which is also a problem. Again I am no expert and have done no research but I can imagine plastic companies in Africa producing these bags with little or no regulations as to the amount of toxic stuff in it….
Dr Ethiopia,
I have to assume you have not been in Africa over the last few years. You can not miss the major impact these flimsy plastic bags have on the environment and the people.
I remember growing up in addis when the plastic bags were called ‘Festal’. They were the sturdy plastic bags with an imprint of either Marlboro or some other advertiser on them. You had to pay a few birr for them, so you reused them. Now everywhere you go they give you flimsy little bags that cost nothing and every single item is wrapped in them. of course, nobody recycles so they end up everywhere! If you have been on any major road after heavy rains you realize that most of the drainage system has been clogged by these things and the flooding is insane. After every rainy season each well made road is littered with potholes. And in the small roads and slum areas the clogging brings up seweage and other unpleasant stuff that stays on the streets outside of homes for days. Although I have not seen it I understand that it is the same in the countryside where as Masinko above mentioned that it is causing as much if not more impact in the people’s quality of life.
[quote comment="127002"]Dr Ethiopia,
I have to assume you have not been in Africa over the last few years. You can not miss the major impact these flimsy plastic bags have on the environment and the people.
I remember growing up in addis when the plastic bags were called ‘Festal’. They were the sturdy plastic bags with an imprint of either Marlboro or some other advertiser on them. You had to pay a few birr for them, so you reused them. Now everywhere you go they give you flimsy little bags that cost nothing and every single item is wrapped in them. of course, nobody recycles so they end up everywhere! If you have been on any major road after heavy rains you realize that most of the drainage system has been clogged by these things and the flooding is insane. After every rainy season each well made road is littered with potholes. And in the small roads and slum areas the clogging brings up seweage and other unpleasant stuff that stays on the streets outside of homes for days. Although I have not seen it I understand that it is the same in the countryside where as Masinko above mentioned that it is causing as much if not more impact in the people’s quality of life.[/quote]
wow kerazy.. aydel and this happened only after the nineties…
Dr. Ethiopia, I understand that we do have immediate problems the continent needs to deal with. But I believe awareness could go a long way. This is not a plastic “crisis” YET but the potential is there. As mentioned by others above, plastic is cheaply available in Africa today than 5-10 years ago and it will get worse in the future.
Plastic bags/containers are re-used in Ethio. If the plastic bag is not ripped, it will defiantly be re-used for something especially in the rural areas.
[quote comment="127002"]Dr Ethiopia,
I remember growing up in addis when the plastic bags were called ‘Festal’. They were the sturdy plastic bags with an imprint of either Marlboro or some other advertiser on them. You had to pay a few birr for them, so you reused them. Now everywhere you go they give you flimsy little bags that cost nothing and every single item is wrapped in them. of course, nobody recycles so they end up everywhere! If you have been on any major road after heavy rains you realize that most of the drainage system has been clogged by these things and the flooding is insane. After every rainy season each well made road is littered with potholes. And in the small roads and slum areas the clogging brings up seweage and other unpleasant stuff that stays on the streets outside of homes for days. Although I have not seen it I understand that it is the same in the countryside where as Masinko above mentioned that it is causing as much if not more impact in the people’s quality of life.[/quote]
C’mon Dr. Ethiopia, this has been actually an issue in the past 20 years specifically in Addis. I used to hear about this problem even on the ETV news.
[quote comment="126817"]www.abesha.wordpress.com
We are in no position to even address that issue. I call it a ‘luxury-problem’.[/quote]
But what i don’t really get is when you call the issue a ‘luxury-problem’. It is really worth mentioning to address this issue. I grew up in Piassa area and in Winter, you will see a “Ye Amisit Santim Festal” and “condom” everywhere on the ground that doesn’t allow the water to drain. I bet it is a huge layer of plastic ground by now..
Paper bag is not a good alternative either, considering you have to chop down trees to make paper. So a solution would be to stop producing more plastic bags and just start turning the exiting plastic bags into reusable bags.
One example is shown in the following diy videos and instructions…
Make a Bag Out of Plastic Bags!
video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB1mE8e35UY
design
http://eeio.blogspot.com/2004/12/recycled-banner-golden-mean-messenger.html
pdf with instructions
http://cachefly.oreilly.com/make/wp_messengerbag.pdf
how to make plastic bag crochet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i1W9Mi7jPM
Now take the bag when u go shopping when they ask you paper or plastic just say neither. Then put your groceries in your reusable bag and pedal your ass home.
Dr. E, i disagree with the notion that environmental concerns are not a priority in Africa. When does something become a priority? When it reaches a point at which reversing the problem costs millions? With the continent’s escalating population and the stresses made on natural resources to cater to our increasing numbers, is it not a priority to prevent a man-made issue from reaching ‘crisis’ proportions? i don’t think we should see problems in isolation, as most development issues are interrelated making them more complex.
Nevertheless, i respect your position:)
Dr. Et…you need to really open your eyes and see what is coming…
I agree with the others, plastic is a big problem in Ethiopia…may be just few steps away from becoming a “crisis” . I was visiting just this past rainy season and I have witnessed these issues discussed here in person. I have also seen what kind of mess it has created in and around Awash River while taking a trip out there. You don’t even have to be an environmentalist to notice that chaos.
Yes, we do have other pressing issues to address as a nation, but this one will soon add to our worries in a major way.
“Dr. E, i disagree with the notion that environmental concerns are not a priority in Africa. When does something become a priority? When it reaches a point at which reversing the problem costs millions? With the continent’s escalating population and the stresses made on natural resources to cater to our increasing numbers, is it not a priority to prevent a man-made issue from reaching ‘crisis’ proportions? i don’t think we should see problems in isolation, as most development issues are interrelated making them more complex.”
Masinko,I couldn’t agree with you more! When does a pbm become a ‘crisis’? Why do we have to wait until it escalates to a crisis? What does an issue take to catch the eyes of African Politicians? I think this is one of the reasons why Africa is so behind… we use more of damage control than prevention and advocacy hence our pbms get outta hand.
Bottom line- Plastic is an African issue too and it has to be addressed NOW or it’ll be another addition to our ‘Crisis’ list.
Amesegnalehu!
I just found out that it is estimated it takes up to a thousand years for biogradable plastic bags to completetly break down?. Imagine all the places, sea and land that they would pollute in that time. It is not a problem anyone can ignore, and it really is not a luxury problem that affects the West alone it is said that climate change will affect Africa the hardest and will add tentfold to all the other problems we have now.Good initiative
We are banning them here too, one county already did and 80 more will follow in the next few weeks. We are going to carry our old plastic bags to the supermarket again and again, and if you turn up there with no bag you will be given a green one, not sure what it will be made of but it wont be plastic…
Now can someone ban or stop manufacturing 4*4?, they are a menace to the environment and on the road too.
whatever happened to gash abera molla?
The west knows how to dispose of these things. we dump it on our heads….
It is unfortunate that you all saw my comment in a different light.
Maybe i should have never deviated from the subject of plastic.
Guys i think i have already made it clear that plastic IS a problem, i can’t see how so many people failed to see that. I just so happen to expand on the issues Africa face that are more urgent than a plastic would ever be.
By the way, i am loving this LOVE coming my way – NOT. Guys easy:) Next time i guess, i would just comment by saying – “agree” or “disagree”.
Just joking, this is a very civil blog and i enjoy it for that and keep coming back.
Nolawi, by the way, once again – brilliant post.
http://www.abesha.wordpress.com
As Hidaya states since if takes about a 1000 years for a plastic bag to biodegrade, does it mean all the plastic bags that have been produced ever since their invention 100 years ago (looked it up) are out there clogging drains, landfills, rivers, oceans, killing animals, and being all around nuisance, etc….? That really boggles the mind. It is a good thing Uganda and South Africa have already banned them. Maybe Ethiopia will be next. People could go back to using zembils.
Cool vids Nyala. Since I have no need for messenger bags and I don’t have a sewing machine I will try and crochet one. How hard could it be? It looked simple enough
Hi all, love yr discussions.
Dr Ethiopia I guess u calling it a luxury crisis is where every one thought u were saying it wasn’t a real problem.
I believe that this is a major and urgent problem in Africa but by no means more important than let’s say poverty eradication, I don’t think we should shift resources from this to plastic eradication. But I believe this is a problem that can be dealt with relatively smaller resources. And we should deal with it now, before it gets even worse and we reach a point of no return, we need to do a lot of damage control and take preventive measures to assure that we don’t degrade the environment any more than we have to.
Environmental issues are more important in third world countries than others because these countries are more dependent on the environment and nature. Environmental problems are what put us in perpetual drought and famine so third world countries SHOULD worry about this more than the developed world.
I hate when you guys use words like wondering etc instead of a name… pick a nick and stick with it
Wow! An actual discussion, that is of importance to us! If we can talk this much on lesser problem such as plastic bags, picture what we can do to those NGO. One of you should translate all the issues (for and against) discussed on this topic, in Amharic and distributed to the people back home…
We are tired of these NGOs telling us, what is good/bad for us….
More debates please……
who cares about some stupid plastic bag’s? people can’t get enough to eat,drink,access to health care, medication it goes on and on and guess what comes last, plastic bags. grow up
What ?????/.. Is this supposed to be some sort of Copy cat?
A: I hear you went to Ethiopia and contracted something.
B: Yea, I munched on some raw meat and contracted Kosso … I didn’t even know it ’til
I realized I was leaving white pebble droppings everywhere I went.
A: You think you got it bad. I had me one of those ergonomically savvy cows … don’t
ask me why but I was sold into the idea that they would be Kosso free only to find
out they are plastic bag munching free range hippy cows that distorted the lining of
my digestive tract. The irony is when they took out the damaged digestive tract they
replaced it with plastic encasing to protect what is left of my small intestine. I
will take white pebble droppings any day, my friend, any day!
This plastic crisis is one of sever technology consequences. We got the technology down how to make these plastic bags cheap and they are produces in a large quantity but we don’t know how to get rid of them or recycle them. So unless the plastic industry come up with ways to reuse some of the plastic, then their production should be limited. Or the government should control how much of these plastics are imported from other countries. They didn’t have these plastic bags when I was growing up in Ethiopia. Everyone took their own Zembile to grocery shopping. We should all be responsible citizens. There is a big pile of plastic bags in everyone house. Why don’t we take the bags that we got from previous shopping trip and to use it. Better yet, store some of them in your car trunk and grab it before you step to grocery store. Just because it’s available to us, we shouldn’t keep on abusing it.
I found an interesting article about how to do good with plastic bags. The menace of the plastic bag and its long term harm to the environment is taken seriously in Africa…I wish we would be as inventive….here is the link…
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ghanaian-fashion-accessory-is-plastic-fantastic-797147.html
Ghanaian fashion accessory is plastic fantastic
“Our bags are complete trash” may not strike you as the perfect sales pitch. But one Ghanaian entrepreneur would beg to disagree. His Trashy Bags venture is turning the scourge of discarded plastic that litters this corner of west Africa into a cool fashion accessory.
Ran in front locomotive, which arrived late.
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I am not saying your content isn’t solid., however
what if you added a title that makes people want more?
I mean No Plastic in Africa : bernos_ | African T-Shirts is
a little vanilla. You might glance at Yahoo’s home page
and see how they create post headlines to grab viewers interested.
You might try adding a video or a picture or two to get people excited about what you’ve written. Just my
opinion, it could bring your posts a little bit more interesting.
Superb blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers? I’m planning
to start my own blog soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or
go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there
that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any suggestions?
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