Ethiopia’s appetite for plastic has grown dramatically over the past two decades, positioning the country as one of the region’s top importers of plastic packaging. Per capita plastic consumption jumped from just 0.6 kilograms in 2007 to 2.6 kilograms in 2021, according to Euro-map 2022, a coalition representing Europe’s plastics and rubber machinery industry.
That surge has placed Ethiopia second only to Kenya in plastic consumption in East and Central Africa, with an estimated EUR 17 million spent annually on plastic packaging imports. Roughly 51 percent of that plastic is used in packaging, while the remainder finds its way into construction, electronics, and other industries.
“In the past decade, the use of pollutants such as plastic bottles and bags has increased more than 400-fold,” said Wasihun Alemu, head of the Urban Waste Management and Disposal Monitoring Desk at the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
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“Today, most soft drinks, juices, and cosmetics are packaged in plastic—much of which ends up in landfills or the environment because it isn’t recycled,” he added.
In an effort to stem the growing tide of waste, the House of Peoples’ Representatives passed a new Solid Waste Management and Disposal Proclamation on June 3, 2025. The law, among other measures, bans the trade and use of plastic bags for any purpose.
“These plastic bags cannot be managed effectively unless we control them at the source,” Wasihun said. “They’re difficult to recycle, they don’t decompose, and they significantly contribute to pollution and waste accumulation.”
The legislation defines single-use plastics as any item made from plastic that is not reused or recycled and is typically discarded after one use. Among its primary targets: plastic shopping bags, which Wasihun described as a major contributor to environmental degradation.
Preparations for the law began in 2020, as officials grew increasingly alarmed by the scale of plastic pollution. Wasihun emphasized that black plastic bags, in particular, pose a unique challenge: once dumped, they’re nearly impossible to trace back to manufacturers or consumers, making enforcement difficult.
Improper disposal further complicates the crisis. Burning plastic waste at informal dump sites releases toxic pollutants, while slow decomposition breaks plastics into microplastics—particles small enough to enter the food chain. “Livestock can die from ingesting plastic bags, and marine animals suffer from entanglement, ingestion, and chemical exposure,” Wasihun said. “Ultimately, these risks come back to humans through the consumption of contaminated fish.”
The new proclamation focuses on reducing waste at the source, encouraging recycling and reuse, expanding public participation, and reinforcing the “polluter pays” principle. Manufacturers, importers, distributors, and users of single-use plastics must now comply with a set of standards that include clear labeling of product materials and proper systems for collection and disposal.
Companies engaged in producing or importing such plastics before the law was enacted have six months to bring their operations into compliance.
“There’s growing interest in alternatives like zenbil—traditional woven bags made from local materials,” Wasihun noted. “But for these products to thrive, they need to match the affordability and convenience of plastic. Investors won’t stay in the market unless it becomes economically viable.”
While Ethiopia’s previous solid waste law barred the import and production of plastic bags, it stopped short of prohibiting their use. The new proclamation, however, marks a decisive shift in the country’s approach to plastic waste—ushering in a tougher stances on single-use plastics.
Under the law, simply possessing or using a plastic bag can now trigger a fine ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 birr. For businesses, the stakes are even higher: manufacturing, importing, selling, or storing plastic bags could lead to penalties of up to 200,000 birr and prison sentences of up to five years.
“Our priority is to build public awareness and turn that into practical action,” said Wasihun. “But we also need clear and enforceable laws. Without accountability, the law won’t be respected.”
Enforcement, he stressed, is the linchpin of the new policy. “If no one is allowed to produce or import these bags, then no one will be able to use them. That’s the ultimate goal.”
The urgency behind the proclamation reflects a growing global consensus on the threat of plastic pollution.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), plastic waste is accelerating the damage caused by what it calls the “triple planetary crisis”: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
Each year, an estimated 11 million metric tons of plastic enter aquatic ecosystems. Microplastics—fragments from consumer goods and agricultural runoff—are increasingly found in soil, leaching from landfills and sewage systems. The global social and environmental toll of plastic pollution, UNEP estimates, ranges between USD 300 billion and USD 600 billion annually.
Rivers, Wasihun noted, serve as major conduits for plastic waste, carrying roughly 90 percent of the plastics dumped into the environment into seas and lakes.
At home, Ethiopia is beginning to see signs of a market pivot. “We’ve seen promising interest from investors in sustainable packaging,” Wasihun said. “But without a strong legal framework, it’s a risky endeavor. With the new law in place, we hope to foster a more supportive environment for responsible investment.”
The previous 2007 solid waste proclamation had only restricted the use of plastic bags thinner than 0.03 millimeters—unless certified biodegradable. That policy, while an early step, proved insufficient in addressing the scale and complexity of the growing plastic crisis. The current law seeks to go further by eliminating ambiguity and enabling robust enforcement.
While government officials hail the bag ban as a critical step toward environmental protection, the country’s plastics industry sees it as a blow to both the economy and practicality.
The Ethiopian Plastics and Rubber Manufacturers Association (EPRMA), which represents more than 500 companies, argues that replacing plastic bags with so-called “eco-friendly” alternatives is not only economically burdensome, but also environmentally misguided.
“Products like paper bags contribute to deforestation and require significant electricity and water to manufacture,” said Samson Ketema, General Manager of EPRMA.
He belives the technical challenges should be looked at in detail. “Countries with five million people may manage such bans, but how many paper bags would you need to serve a country of nearly 130 million?”
Speaking to The Reporter Magazine, Samson recalled a public consultation on the draft proclamation held at the House of People’s Representatives, where he had argued for a more pragmatic, “win-win” approach. Many manufacturers, he emphasized, have invested heavily in high-cost machinery and employ a significant workforce that would be affected by a sudden industry shift.
The EPRMA had advocated for revising the 0.03 millimeters threshold set previously rather than implementing a full prohibition, since plastic bags had become deeply integrated into everyday life.
He also noted that most plastic bags are, in fact, recyclable—and that the focus should shift to public education on recycling practices. “Recycled plastic jerry cans are already being used to produce new bags,” he said.
Still, the six-month transition period outlined in the law has sparked concern among industry players. EPRMA argues that more time is needed to adapt and inform consumers. “A year or more would be more realistic.”
The Association claims the industry contributes over 60 billion birr annually to Ethiopia’s economy and roughly 20 billion birr in government tax revenue, making it a cornerstone of the national manufacturing sector. As a labor-intensive industry, it employs 268,000 workers. Additionally, the sector plays a critical role in recycling, processing 400 tons of scrap plastic bags annually, which saves over USD 350 million through import substitution.
EPA data, however, paints a picture of runaway plastic dependency. The country now consumes up to 300,000 tons of plastic annually—with single-use plastics making up 70 percent of that volume. The boom in bottled water consumption and the rapid expansion of retail and service industries have only intensified demand for plastic packaging.
Caught in the Middle
The human cost of the transition is already visible.
A factory manager at a plastic bag manufacturing plant in Addis Ababa, who requested anonymity, said her company is on the verge of closing.
“We’re about to shut down, and 60 of our employees will be out of work,” she told The Reporter Magazine. “This law could trigger a wave of job losses across the sector. It’s not just our factory—it’s suppliers, distributors, and technicians, too.”
Located near Ayer Tena, her company began producing bags thicker than 0.5 millimeters in the 2023/24 fiscal year. What started with an investment of just 10,000 birr and a team of 10 had grown to 60 employees operating a single production machine. But now, she says, the ban threatens to bankrupt the business. The specialized machine cannot be repurposed for other products, leaving few options for pivoting operations.
For the manager of a small plastic bag factory, the challenges go beyond government regulation.
“Our output is seasonal and entirely dependent on electricity,” she said. “The machine sometimes develops glitches that halt production for days.” On average, her team produces 100 packs of plastic bags daily, each pack containing 50 bags—amounting to roughly 5,000 plastic bags a day.
While small in scale, the factory’s operations represent many enterprises likely to be hit hard by the ban. She described their journey as a calculated risk, backed by a thorough feasibility study and a major investment in a production machine that now threatens to become obsolete.
The machine—imported at a cost ranging between USD 8,150 and USD 14,850—is not easily convertible for other uses. “Nobody is going to buy this machine,” she said. “Switching production requires importing entirely new equipment, training new staff, and navigating a completely different market.”
Beyond the manufacturing challenges, she raised broader concerns about the country’s waste infrastructure. “There is no proper waste separation at the source. Without that, recycling can’t happen effectively,” she said.
Her frustration was palpable when it came to alternatives. “Producing paper bags isn’t a real solution,” she argued. “Are people going to carry injera in paper bags? Let’s be honest—it’s impractical. We’re still waiting for the government to offer a clear, realistic path forward.”
The new Solid Waste Management and Disposal Proclamation will officially take effect upon its publication in the Federal Negarit Gazeta, followed by a six-month grace period aimed at public education and institutional readiness.
Though the law restricts the manufacture and use of single-use plastics, it allows for exceptions under special conditions—particularly when alternatives like glass bottles or reusable cans are designed with recyclability in mind.
Wasihun sees this as an opportunity to push the country toward a “circular economy,” a system in which plastics are reused, repurposed, and recycled rather than discarded.
“Countries like Kenya are already implementing successful models of plastic reuse,” Wasihun said. “We also looked at best practices from Indonesia, Singapore, Germany, Austria, Portugal, and France.”
He pointed to the EPA’s National Plastic Waste Management Strategy and Roadmap (2024–2034), which outlines the economic, social, and environmental potential of the transition. Among the benefits cited: reduced dependency on imports, job creation through recycling industries, cleaner cities, lower rates of resource extraction, and improved public health outcomes.
Importantly, the new proclamation requires plastic manufacturers to take full responsibility for the lifecycle of their products—including the cost of collecting, reusing, and recycling materials once they’re discarded.
“One of our primary goals is to formalize waste collection,” said Wasihun. “Today, much of it is handled informall.”
He cited Coca-Cola’s “World Without Waste” program, which has invested in bottle recovery and recycling infrastructure, as a working example of formalized plastic stewardship.
