Plastic ban law in Tanzania

Tanzania is now dedicated to put a stand against the effect of plastic waste on the natural environment together with very many other countries worldwide. Kilimanjaro Trails is a long-time supporter of the ‘Travelers against Plastic and Leave No Trace’ Campaign and is very happy to hear that the government of Tanzania is pushing for this commitment to reduce on the amount of plastic that is being used and very often thrown away.

The Tanzanian government is presenting an injunction on single-use plastic bags which will become effective on June 1st 2019. The injunction covers tourists as well and it will include all the plastic bags that you might have within your belongings.  A single-use plastic bag is defined by the kind of plastic it is made from and it doesn’t show the number of times one can re-use it. For that reason items just like the heavy duty plastic bags that you might want to use for packing items in your suitcase will also be part of the ban.

All travelers will be asked to give up all the plastic bags they might be carrying in their suitcases at specific points that will be introduced at all airports. In order to avoid any inconveniences we would advise you not to bother taking any plastic bags into Tanzania hence being left to struggle finding another packing alternative there.

So what options do I have as a mountain climber?

Well, one of the safe favorite packing bags for camping trips is the zip-lock bags as it is much easier to organize small belongings in a duffle bag. Nothing is as bad as searching through your bag trying to get your head torch in the darkness. The plastic bags also had an advantage of giving waterproofing to your gear.

To be specific, a packing bag that allows you to separate clean clothes from dirty ones is a good idea. Fabric packing cubes will enable you to organize your gear hence allowing you to bring order to your duffle bag. The solution to all this is to add a re-usable alternative in your packaging.

Since Rain showers are always to be expected on a mountain as big as Kilimanjaro, it is always clever to take safety measures to make sure your gear stays dry. The care takers will help protect your suitcase in a canvas pottering bag as they are carrying it though we do not guarantee its total dryness if the caretaker is caught up in the rainfall. If your bag pack is not water proof, then we usually advise that you protect your gear with dry-bags. If you use a variety of small dry-bags, it will definitely help with the organization of the items.

Are plastic bags for liquids allowed in hand luggage?

Since the zip lock bags for carrying toiletries in your hand luggage can be re-used for the return flight and therefore not be disposed off when in Tanzania, the government has accepted and permitted them.

We would therefore advise that you use a more permanent solution when carrying liquids in the cabin since the purpose of the injunction is to stop the use of single-use plastic bags. There are quite many alternatives for clear plastic cosmetic bags, several sets of travel bottles come with a clear bag which is appropriate to carry on a plane. Most airports usually limit the size of the bag to 20centimeters by 20 centimeters so it is a very important thing to remember and check the size.