When you land in Rwanda, your luggage is checked. Not for drugs or guns, but for plastic bags.
Rwanda’s mission to maintain a clean and healthy environment has been going since 2008 when it banned the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags and packaging materials. To date, Rwandans use only bags made from paper, cloth, banana leaves and papyrus, among other biodegradable materials.
It has made a difference. The plastic-bag ban has earned the country a reputation as one of the cleanest countries in Africa. In 2008, Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, was declared one of the cleanest cities in Africa by UN Habitat. It also created opportunities for entrepreneurs who invested in alternative packaging materials (cloths, papers, banana leaves and papyrus).
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