Ahmed, a fruit and vegetable vendor in a market in Giza Governorate, Egypt, is going about his daily business. He says, “Plastic bags are a part of my business, and customers insist on having their purchases separated into different bags for each item.”
He stresses the importance of having bags before even the produce itself. He rejects proposed alternatives, like cloth bags that are more expensive, or paper bags that lack strength and durability, arguing that plastic bags can handle heavy weights and are more widely accepted in everyday transactions by most Egyptians.
According to the United Nations, humans use about a trillion single-use plastic bags each year worldwide. Around 13 million tons of plastic waste are dumped into the oceans annually, making plastic pollution a pressing and urgent issue of our time.
According to a 2019 study by the Egyptian Ministry of Environment, plastic bags are a silent killer, surpassing epidemics and wars in their danger. They cause the death of a child every minute around the world, either through respiratory illnesses or epidemics. The study revealed that Egypt consumes about 12 billion plastic bags annually, and per capita plastic consumption reached 25 kilograms in 2012. This figure has doubled in recent years. Most of the plastic bags are concentrated in Greater Cairo, the Delta region, and Alexandria, accounting for 40%, 23%, and 12%, respectively.
According to data from the International Trade Centre, Egypt’s imports of plastics and materials reached approximately $4,093,208 million in 2021, an increase of 37.42% compared to the previous year, 2020, which recorded around $2,978,579 million.
Six thousand plastic bag factories
Ahmed reveals that he doesn’t really care about the type of materials used to manufacture the bags or whether factories have regulatory certifications and licenses. All that matters to him is the price of the bags he gets. The price has increased significantly recently due to the rise in the cost of raw materials used by the factory, according to his distributor.
Amidst rising economic fluctuations, Ahmed carefully re-evaluates his options, preferring to use transparent bags that showcase the quality of the fruits and vegetables he sells. However, he hints at their declining quality and durability compared to the past, leading them to become unable to handle large quantities of products sold.
In 2021, the Minister of Environment, Yasmine Fouad, announced the National Strategy to Reduce the Use of Single-Use Plastic Bags. During a meeting of the National Committee, she emphasized the importance of involving all concerned segments of society in this strategy to achieve its objectives successfully. She pointed out that reducing and limiting the use of plastic bags will be done gradually in the coming periods. The Ministry of Finance and Planning has been working to provide green incentives packages in the short, medium, and long term to gradually adopt them. She explained that plastic alternatives are not just products; they are alternative consumer and trader behaviors and practices.
According to the target timeline for implementing the strategy, which spans from 2021 to 2030, Egypt aims to reduce plastic bag consumption to 100 bags per person per year by 2025 and 50 bags per person per year by 2030.
Heba Ma’touq, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, says that the strategy adopted by the ministry aims to reduce, not eliminate, single-use bags, in cooperation with the Ministry of Trade and Industry. She clarifies that the ministry’s role is limited to obligating factories to apply proper specifications for bag production according to the strategy’s provisions. Article 27 and its implementing regulations numbered 18 and 19 of Law No. 2020 of 2020 regulating waste management specifically address the circulation of single-use plastic bags. Article 11 of the law’s implementing regulations states that the waste generator or holder is responsible for the cost of integrated waste management of all types throughout its life cycle, including the post-consumption stage, such as sorting, separating, collecting, recycling, and safe disposal using environmentally and health-safe methods. This is part of the extended producer responsibility framework.
She explains that the ministry is collaborating with various entities, including NGOs, schools, and universities, to raise awareness about the risks of single-use plastic bags. The ministry started implementing the awareness campaign in Hurghada Governorate. It is expected to be implemented in Sharm El-Sheikh in the near future. The ministry aims to apply the strategy in coastal governorates first, given the difficulty of applying it in Cairo Governorate.
The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment further explains to Zawia3 that Prime Minister’s Decision No. 559, issued regarding the adoption of the implementation of the Egyptian Standard Specifications (3040) for plastic shopping bags and the Egyptian Standard Specifications (8570) for home-compostable plastic, aims to apply the extended producer responsibility system to single-use plastic bags to achieve the objectives of the National Strategy. This will ultimately bring plastic bag consumption down to 50 bags per person per year by 2030, instead of the current average of 565 bags per person per year in Greater Cairo and between 500-350 bags per person nationwide. She adds that a document for the “Enhancing Circular Economy Practices in the Single-Use Plastic Value Chain” project has been signed, with support from the Japanese government and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in coordination with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), to initiate the “Improving the Value Chain for Waste Management, Supporting Local Recycling Tools, and Reusing Plastic Waste” project in Port Said Governorate.
Regarding the Cleaner Maritime and Coastal Ecosystems Project in Egypt, funded by the World Bank, Ma’touq says that the project is nearing completion in the coming period. She explains that the cleanup operations for beaches in Alexandria Governorate and the natural reserves in Sharm El-Sheikh (Nabq-Ras Muhammad) have been conducted through awareness-raising and supporting initiatives related to reducing plastic waste and raising awareness about its negative impact on the environment and economy. These efforts are led by the Youth Love Egypt Foundation and the Arab Youth and Environment Office.
On the other hand, Khaled Abu al-Makarem, head of the Plastics Industry Division at the Federation of Industries and head of the Plastics Export Council, confirms in his conversation with us that the number of factories registered with the Chemical Industries Chamber of the Federation of Industries exceeds 3,000 factories scattered throughout Egypt. He explains that these factories have industrial records, are registered with the Industrial Development Authority, and have a tax card, a commercial register, and are subject to supervision by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Supply Police, and the Environment. They operate according to standards and specifications related to plastic products, whether food bags, shop bags, or other plastic products. This is in contrast to unregistered factories, which exceed 3,000 as well, placing them outside the scope of legal and environmental oversight, leading to the emergence of plastic products that violate the required specifications.
Abu al-Makarem clarifies that some of these factories operate on recycling plastic waste for various products, including plastic bags, provided they are hygienic and do not pollute the environment. This helps protect the environment and reduce production costs. Therefore, industries based on recycling are considered environmentally friendly as long as the required conditions are met, he says.
The head of the Plastics Division adds that plastic bags are made from polyethylene, a material used for food handling. It contains antibacterial and antiviral agents and is also used with medicines and restaurants. There are also grades of colored bags for shops that come in one or two colors. He places the responsibility for the safety and quality of the plastic bag on the manufacturer and the merchant. The manufacturer seeks to reduce the cost of the product, while the merchant seeks to buy the cheapest option without considering its health and environmental risks.
Dangerous chemicals in bags
Ahmed returns and tells us that government oversight of plastic bag factories should be strengthened to ensure their quality and prevent manipulation of prices, which affects his business and consumers alike. He expresses ignorance about government efforts to reduce plastic consumption and casts doubt on claims about the negative effects of plastic on health and the environment, drawing on his long experience with these materials without witnessing any direct harm.
According to a study conducted by the General Administration of Economic Research and Studies affiliated with the Eastern Chamber of Commerce last year, it was acknowledged that there is a widespread use of non-compliant plastic bags in packing, packaging, preservation, and during shopping.
The study explains that the circulation of substandard bags poses a significant disaster when used to carry vegetables, fruits, and food in general, especially hot food. This causes a type of harmful interaction with food tissues due to its chemical composition, which includes materials such as carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine. On another level, its disposal is an environmental catastrophe. Burning it affects the atmosphere and human lungs. Disposing of it in the sea pollutes the water and threatens marine life. It is also extremely harmful to use non-compliant plastic in the manufacture of children’s toys, kitchen utensils, and for serving food and beverages.
The study indicates that the main problems resulting from the use of plastic materials are their non-biodegradable and non-corrosive nature, except for low percentages. They also create a fertile environment for the transmission of infectious diseases, contribute to the spread of insects and rodents, and pose serious threats to human health.
Plastic in general has been categorized as an environmentally unfriendly product, especially since it takes hundreds of years to decompose – in the case of products that meet proper specifications. This is supported by Mohamed Kafafi, President of the Global Council for Green Economy and Chief Energy Advisor to the United Nations Global Development Fund, in his conversation with Zawia3. He explains that many countries are working to regulate this problem by recycling plastic products, but this has not helped eliminate the crisis, especially since plastic waste is disposed of by burying it at the bottom of the oceans, threatening fish stocks and the entire ecosystem.
Law No. 202 of 2020, which regulates waste management, includes a number of incentives for the disposal of plastic bags or single-use plastic, as a national effort to protect the marine environment and public health.
Kafafi emphasizes the need to ban the production of single-use bags, which constitute a large proportion of citizens’ plastic consumption. He suggests providing environmentally friendly products, such as bags made from fabrics, as a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative. He points out that some plastic bags contain hazardous chemicals such as mercury and aluminum. When food is placed in them, the chemical in the composition of transparent or colored bags interacts with the food, causing harmful substances to dissolve in the food. This leads to the presence of plastic residue in the human body, which is considered a primary cause of serious diseases.
Bags made from recycled plastic pose a threat to human health
The study by the General Administration of Economic Research and Studies affiliated with the Eastern Chamber of Commerce indicates that the significant increase in the cost of raw materials, especially natural ones, has driven consumers to resort to plastic bags and packaging of low quality. These bags, often made from recycled plastic from garbage and hospitals, may contain pollutants and dangerous microbes. Using them can lead to serious health risks, including diseases like hepatitis and various types of cancer, posing a significant health threat.
The study highlights the problem of unsafe plastic bags made from recycled materials extracted from waste and medical waste, which may contain serious pollutants. These bags, lacking adequate supervision and emitting a foul or pungent odor, are unsuitable for human use and contribute to significant environmental pollution when disposed of improperly by burying them in the soil or burning them.
The Middle East and North Africa region is among the most affected by marine and coastal pollution, threatening the region’s vital blue economy. According to a World Bank report, the region has the highest per capita plastic footprint, with each person contributing more than 6 kilograms of plastic waste annually. This makes the Mediterranean Sea one of the most plastic-polluted seas globally.
It has become imperative to take comprehensive measures along the entire plastic value chain, starting with reducing production and consumption, moving towards improving plastic waste management, and addressing existing pollution in the seas. Government awareness of the importance of developing effective legislation and policies for waste management is increasing, with a focus on a circular economy approach to combat plastic pollution.
Khaled Abu al-Makarem, head of the Plastics Industry Division, expresses his opposition to the idea of completely eliminating the plastics industry. He emphasizes the importance of developing and regulating the sector to serve the environment, consumers, and producers alike. He stresses that transitioning to the use of eco-friendly plastics requires additional costs that may be reflected in product prices, necessitating carefully considered implementation mechanisms. He notes that there is ongoing cooperation between the division and relevant government agencies to address the challenges facing the industry and ensure that products meet specific standards. He emphasizes that the common goal is to achieve effective regulation of the industry, and the current discussion revolves around how and when to implement these measures.
In the face of global challenges to reduce plastic use, the head of the Plastics Industry Division at the Federation of Industries emphasizes the importance of regulating this industry instead of eliminating it. He points to the ongoing cooperation between the division and various entities to find balanced solutions that serve the environment and the economy. He observes that some Arab countries have tried to implement ban laws but have subsequently reversed them due to the practical challenges of implementation.
