In Benin, government want plastic bags to be disappear from circulation.
After a transitional period of six months, the law that prohibits their manufacture, importation, sale and use applies from this Wednesday, June 27.
Only those that are biodegradable or reusable are allowed.
Many Beninese approve the measure, aware of the danger that this represents for health and the environment.
But they are looking for alternatives because plastic bags are part of everyday life.
In the largest supermarket in Cotonou, more traditional plastic bags will be disappear within the next few months. Most customers took the fold, they come with their bags or reusable shopping bags.
“I’ve gotten used to it. Always in my bag or in my car, every time I do my shopping, I use it. Sachets make us sick, it rots the city. So it’s a good thing,” says one of the customers.
Consumers and traders get organized in the face of the disappearance of plastic bags.
The law also provides for prison sentences of three to six months for those who distribute non-biodegradable bags.
