DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's National Environment Management Council (NEMC) on Thursday destroyed 44 tons of banned plastic bags that were seized during a special crackdown.
Samuel Gwamaka, NEMC director general, and other senior government officials oversaw the burning of the seized plastic bags by the Tanzania Portland Cement Company Limited, a cement manufacturing company in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.
Speaking after the destruction of the plastic bags, Gwamaka said the exercise to eliminate plastic bags is sustainable throughout the country.
He urged manufactures of banned plastic bags to stop immediately before they faced the full force of the law.
Gwamaka said banned plastic bags are dangerous for human beings and other living organs, and urged Tanzanians to stop using them to protect themselves from health hazards.
Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa announced a ban on the use of plastic bags in May 2019 to protect the environment and natural resources. ■