Swakop's plastic ban levy based

The Swakopmund municipality has approved a framework for the development of a by-law aimed at drastically reducing plastic shopping bag pollution in the town by imposing a levy when consumers opt to use them, a first for Namibia. “Research following the introduction of levies in the rest of the world have brought about a decrease in plastic bags used by shops by up to 85% in the first year alone,” the general manager of health services in the municipality, Clive Lawrence, said. It is currently estimated that around 25 million plastic shopping bags are handed out to consumers per annum at Swakopmund, most of them ending up at the dumpsites. One of the problems with plastic pollution is that the material is slow to break down and difficult to contain, and poses severe risks to livestock, wildlife and humans. “Every solid waste disposal site in Namibia is characterised by the surrounding landscape being strewn with plastic bags and plastic packaging. This is unsightly in a country that prides itself on its clean and healthy landscapes, is a negative factor for the promotion of tourism, poses a danger to domestic stock and wildlife, and is a health hazard, particularly in malaria areas where mosquitos breed in water caught in plastic bottles,” the Namibia Chamber of Environment (NCE)'s Chris Brown explained. Moreover, it is estimated that plastic makes up 95% of the rubbish in the world's oceans, mainly in the form of bags, food and drink containers, and fishing equipment and studies estimate that as many as 90% of the world's seabirds have plastic in their stomachs, he said. “If we do nothing about this situation, by 2050 the mass of plastics in the oceans will exceed the total mass of fishes,” Brown warned. A more recent concern has been the discovery that plastics also pose severe health risks to humans, who are at risk of ingesting miniscule pieces of broken down plastic when they eat fish or shellfish.“Dealing decisively with plastics is thus as much a human health issue as it is an environmental issue,” Brown said. Still pending Lawrence explained that the levy consumers will be charged has not yet been finalised and will be discussed at upcoming public consultations. He cautioned however that a levy that is too low “will have no impact on the reduction of the use of plastic shopping bags”. Once the draft regulations are vetted and gazetted, the funds collected from the levy will be applied for environmental conservation and support community-based environmental initiatives, he said. Brown said solving the problem of plastic bag pollution is not simple, but four key elements could help address the issue while allowing people to retain the benefits of plastics. These include an import ban on plastic bags into Namibia that contain calcium carbonate and imposing a levy of at least 50 cents per bag. The funds could be funnelled into supporting initiatives that promote the recycling of plastics, including small business that could produce durable shopping bags. The NCE also proposes setting up guidelines for how much of a plastic bag can be used for advertising, to improve the recycling processes. The draft regulations will be submitted to the Swakopmund council towards the end of March 2018, Lawrence said. The proposed by-law is part of Swakopmund's goal of becoming the first environmentally sustainable town in Namibia, he added. “It was discovered that the indiscriminate dumping of plastic shopping bags is one of the main sources of pollution of open spaces and therefore the drive for better control of the use of shopping bags will be mobilised.” Brown noted that more than 40 countries and municipalities around the world have established similar legislation to ban, levy or regulate the use of plastic shopping bag bans, including more than 15 African countries. The United Nations Environmental Programme secretariat has recommended a ban on all plastic bags globally, due to the many environmental and other problems they create. JANA-MARI SMITH

Swakop's plastic ban levy based

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

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Swakop's plastic ban levy based

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-18

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