In April 2014, single-use plastics were banned all over Cameroon but how effective was the ban.
A lot of Cameroonians have questioned the ban of single-use plastics and a majority them believe they cannot live without single-use plastics.
Before and after the ban, Government as well as civil society organizations like ours had effectively sensitized the public on the dangers of single-use plastics. A few understood the need for them to cut their plastic footprint but vast majorities of the people have till date depended on single-use plastics.
Since the demand for single-use plastics after the ban was higher than supply, it led to a price surge and the creation of new smuggling businesses.
Government and civil society efforts to stop the plastics smuggling business have all been in vain until the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s still not evidently clear how COVID-19 is making single-use plastics disappear from the market but from what we have gathered from the field, single-use plastic users have testified that;
- Single0-use plastics are now scarce due to the closure of all borders
- single-use plastics are very expensive
- single-use plastic suppliers who smuggle plastics into the nation are afraid of COVID-19 and as such have limited their movements
As a result of scarcity, price and fear of COVID-19, there has been a drastic drop in the use of single-use plastics all over the city of Bamenda. Many vendors are now selling without single-use plastics and sensitizing their clients on the scarcity and price of plastics.
While it’s a good thing that COVID-19 is contributing in stopping plastic pollution, it’s also worth noting that this dreaded pandemic has brought economic hardship, suffering and pain, and claimed the lives thousands of people around the globe. For these reasons, it’s our wish that scientists find a vaccine to this virus ASAP.
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