Dar es Salaam. When Tanzania banned plastic carrier bags in June 2019, the country was praised for taking a bold step in Africa’s war against plastic pollution.
Government notices were issued, regulations enforced, and penalties introduced to deter importers, manufacturers, and users. It was a move that gave hope not only to environmentalists but also to communities across the nation.
Yet, six years later, plastic waste remains visible in rivers, lakes, the Indian Ocean, and even in local markets and streets. Despite laws, strategies, and countless crackdowns, plastics produced by industries still leak into the environment, threatening ecosystems and livelihoods.
The question is: with all the policies and enforcement mechanisms in place, where has Tanzania failed? And could the newly launched Tanzania National Plastic Action Partnership (TZ-NPAP) provide the turning point needed to realise the nation’s ambition of becoming Africa’s leader in building a plastic-free society?
Statistics tell a worrying story. Tanzania generates about 315,000 tonnes of plastic waste every year. According to the Vice President’s Office, only 40 percent of this waste is collected, and a mere 4 percent is recycled.
The rest ends up as solid waste dumped in open spaces, rivers, lakes, and oceans, undermining public health and marine ecosystems.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Vice President’s Office (Environment), Dr Peter Msoffe, stated during the launch of the NPAP on September 8, 2025; “Plastic pollution is not just an environmental issue.
It is a cross-cutting challenge requiring collaboration, innovation, and decisive action.” The reality is clear: laws alone cannot solve the problem. While the 2019 ban on plastic bags was a landmark moment, it only addressed one aspect of the wider plastic crisis.
Legal and policy framework
Over the years, the government has rolled out a range of legal tools and policies aimed at tackling the issue. The 2019 Plastic Carrier Bag Prohibition Regulations outlawed plastic bags with strict penalties of up to Sh1 billion in fines or two years in prison.
This was later reviewed in 2022 to strengthen enforcement. The National Environmental Policy of 2021 provided broader directives on waste management, while the National Waste Management Strategy for 2025–2030 outlined new targets for waste reduction.
Other initiatives include the 3Rs Guidelines of 2020, which encourage practices of reduce, reuse, and recycle, and the National Environmental Master Plan for Strategic Interventions 2022–2032.
These are complemented by the Tanzania Development Vision 2050, launched by President Samia Suluhu Hassan in July 2025, which places environmental integrity and climate resilience as a key pillar for national prosperity.
These frameworks show strong intent, but experts say, implementation has struggled with weak enforcement, inadequate infrastructure for collection and recycling, and limited industry compliance.
Several gaps explain why Tanzania’s plastic battle has not yielded the expected results. The country still suffers from limited recycling capacity, with only 4 percent of plastics recycled.
Experts and reports note that the country lacks adequate recycling plants and relies heavily on informal collectors. Enforcement of existing laws has also been inconsistent, particularly in remote areas where monitoring is difficult.
Also, manufacturers continue producing plastics with limited accountability, despite being obligated to adopt Extended Producer Responsibility systems.
Public awareness is another challenge, as many citizens remain unaware of alternatives or continue to use illegal plastic bags due to convenience.
Moreover, market pressure plays a role, since plastics remain cheaper than alternatives, pushing traders and consumers back to prohibited products.
Enter NPAP: A new hope
The launch of the Tanzania National Plastic Action Partnership marks a fresh chapter in the country’s fight.
The platform, developed in collaboration with the Global Plastic Action Partnership and hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), aims to coordinate efforts by bringing together government, private sector, civil society, and academia.
“We must all recognise that no single actor can solve this challenge alone,” said the UNDP Resident Representative at the launch, Mr John Rutere. “It is only through collective action and aligned priorities that we can reduce plastic pollution and move toward a circular economy.”
The NPAP is built on three principles: stakeholder ownership, evidence-based decision-making, and inclusivity. Its steering committee includes 20 senior leaders from government, private sector, and civil society.
Key members include the Confederation of Tanzania Industries (CTI), the National Environment Management Council (NEMC), the Tanzania Recyclers Association (TARA), and international partners such as the World Bank.
The private sector has often been accused of fuelling the crisis. But the CTI insists that manufacturers are ready to be part of the solution. “For the industry, plastics are necessary for packaging,” admitted CTI Chairperson, Mr Hussein Sufiani.
“But part of our responsibility is to be part of the solution. Some producers already have recycling facilities or are partnering with waste collectors. What we need is a collective approach that helps us tackle financial challenges and scale solutions,” he added.
With NPAP, CTI is expected to take a central role in pushing industries to implement Extended Producer Responsibility systems and fund recycling initiatives.
Tanzania’s progress can be measured against other African nations. Rwanda has long been hailed as a pioneer after banning plastic bags in 2008, with enforcement so strict that violators face heavy fines or prison. Kenya followed in 2017, and in 2020 extended its ban to include single-use plastics in protected areas.
Tanzania’s 2019 ban was applauded but lacked the same consistency in enforcement as Rwanda. The new NPAP could close this gap by ensuring better coordination, data-driven decision-making, and financial backing from partners such as the World Bank and UNDP.
A developmental perspective
Plastic pollution is more than an environmental concern. Studies show it has developmental consequences too as thousands of Tanzanians depend on fisheries and coastal resources, which are directly threatened by plastic waste.
UNDP has linked the NPAP to the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 12 on responsible consumption and production, Goal 13 on climate action, and Goal 14 on life below water.
The initiative also promises green jobs through recycling and sustainable value chains. “Plastic pollution can be turned from a challenge into an opportunity—an opportunity for innovation, partnership, and sustainable development,” said Dr Msoffe.
One of the biggest challenges has been perception. For decades, waste has been viewed as trash, a liability to be discarded. The NPAP seeks to change this mindset by promoting a circular economy where waste becomes a resource.
“We must shift from a linear approach to a circular one,” Dr Msoffe stressed. “Through reduce, reuse, and recycling, we can optimise resources and contribute to socio-economic development.”
This mindset shift, notes Chief Environmental Health Officer from the Ministry of Health, Ms Salvata Silayo, will require mass awareness campaigns, community engagement, and incentives for citizens and businesses to embrace alternatives.
“We must now take education to the people, as they are the ones responsible for the plastic waste piling up in our streets. While we have come together as stakeholders, we still need to continue raising awareness among those most affected—the end users and the biggest victims of this pollution,” she said in an interview.
The road ahead
The NPAP’s immediate priorities include conducting a landscape analysis to identify plastic hotspots, developing implementable national roadmaps for circular economy solutions, and engaging local experts in data collection and modelling.
It also seeks to mobilise investments and technology for recycling, while ensuring inclusivity so that women, youth, and marginalised groups benefit from green jobs.
The government insists that with NPAP, Tanzania has a real chance to lead Africa. “By controlling plastic pollution, we are also protecting our biodiversity and reducing the impacts of climate change,” said Dr Msoffe. “This is our opportunity to position Tanzania as a regional leader in tackling plastic pollution.”
Register to begin your journey to our premium contentSubscribe for full access to premium content
