Environmental protection:

Buea Council wages war against use of plastic bags

By Boris Esono in Buea

Mayor of Buea, Ekema Patrick in action 

seizing plastic bags at Soppo market

The Buea Council in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development has maintained the fight against the use of non-biodegradable plastics. Saturday November 5, 2016 saw a sensitization campaign and seizure of the outlawed materials at the Buea Central Market.

                The exercise led by the Mayor of the Buea Municipality Ekema Patrick Esunge is aimed at cleaning the city of Buea from these plastics which still persist despite the ban by government over a year ago.

                According Shing Timothy, a denizen of Buea, “this is a good gesture by the Mayor as it will cause more people to avoid using plastic packagings.”

                Shing however observed that the Mayor is focusing on the use of plastics in the markets and not caring about the development of these markets. He cited the food market in Muea, which supplies the entire Central African Sub-Region but that has remained an eye sore for decades.

                It should be recalled that the use of non-biodegradable plastics has been forbidden in all the Ten (10) regions of the country. However, some people complain that government banned the use of plastics but did not provide or propose any available alternative for the plastics wrappings.

                This has led to traders retailing the plastics through the black market.