Kenyans collect used plastic bags from Nairobi River to resell in marketplaces near the Mukuru slum in Nairobi. Anyone selling, producing, or even carrying a plastic bag there now risks a €35,000 euro fine or up to four years in prison.

Tourists are being warned to avoid bringing plastic bags to Tanzania from June 1st, when a ban will go into force throughout the country.

The Tanzanian government has issued a notice saying all plastic carrier bags will be prohibited from being “imported, exported, manufactured, sold, stored, supplied and used in mainland Tanzania”.

“The government does not intend for visitors to Tanzania to find their stay unpleasant as we enforce the ban. However, the government expects that, in appreciation of the imperative to protect the environment and keep our country clean and beautiful, our visitors will accept minor inconveniences resulting from this,” it said,

To date, 34 African countries have legislated to control plastic bag usage through bans or taxes. Of these, 31 are in Ssub-Saharan Africa, though not all have strict implementation of the laws.

In Rwanda, where plastic bags have been banned since 2006, travellers have their luggage searched crossing the country’s borders.