Plastic bag confiscated at airport

I invited a group of friends from Europe to visit me in Tanzania. Unfortunately, on arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, they were harassed at the checkpoint for carrying plastic bags in their luggage. My friends allowed the airport staff to confiscate their bags and later told me about this terrible experience. I think this is not good practice and may likely deter visitors from coming to Tanzania. I want to write a complaint to the Airport management so that this does not happen to other persons visiting Tanzania. Please guide me.
JK, Arusha

We are sorry to hear about this experience. We do not condone harassment of any kind and if this is what happened then you have every right to complain to the Airport management. However, on the issue of confiscating the plastic bags, kindly be informed that plastic bags are not allowed in Tanzania, as a measure to protect our environment and reduce the use of plastics in the country.

The Environmental Management (Prohibition of Plastic Carrier Bags) Regulations, 2019 (GN. 394 of 2019) were adopted specifically to impose restrictions on the use of plastic carrier bags in the Country. These Regulations have now been replaced by the Environment Management (Prohibition of Plastic Carrier Bags and Plastic Bottle Cap Seals) Regulations, 2022 (GN. No. 291 of 2022) (the Regulation), to also include restrictions on plastic bottle cap seals. According to regulation 5, all plastic carrier bags, regardless of their thickness, are prohibited from being imported, exported, manufactured, sold, stored, supplied and used in Mainland Tanzania.  A plastic carrier bag is defined in the regulation as a bag made of plastic film, with or without handles, or gussets and to which its layer is in any thickness. It is permitted to use an alternative carrier bag, which according to the regulations means any bag made from organic material or woven recyclable material or non-woven material without plastic content or any such materials as the Minister may determine from time to time.

In an effort to ensure that visitors are not inconvenienced by the ban, the government has released a notice for travelers wishing to visit the country that plastic carrier bags are prohibited in Tanzania. This notice is also posted at all ports of entry. In addition, the website of embassies abroad also post this notice for visitors to be aware. Having said this, what happened to your friends is part of routine checkup carried out at ports of entry. The government has designated special desks at border posts and airports for travelers entering the country to surrender their plastic bags as part of enforcing the said regulation.  Also note that Tanzania is not the only country prohibiting the use of plastic bags.  Other countries have also taken similar measures to ban the use of plastic bags as part of their commitment to protect the environment under local and international environmental law frameworks. We hope this provides clarity as you move forward. Your lawyer can guide you further.