Tanzanians have been reminded to abandon the use of plastic bags as their effects are serious on human health and living organisms as well as the environment in general.
The call was made by the Minister of Livestock and Fisheries, Dr. Ashatu Kijaji when she visited exhibition booths during the World Environment Day celebrations on June 02, 2025, which are ongoing at the Jakaya Kikwete Convention Center, Dodoma.
Dr. Kijaji said that plastic bags, if uncontrolled and thrown away and entering water sources including seas and lakes, have a major impact on fish and their breeding grounds.
“We should all realize that these bags are not safe for our lives as well as livestock and fish, for example, when they enter the sea, the fish themselves swallow these plastic bags and they cannot be digested and eventually die,” she said.
Minister Dr. Kijaji also called on all pastoralists in the country to focus on sustainable pastoralism that does not destroy the environment, including cutting down trees for pasture.
She said that pasture comes from the environment and that pastoralists need permanent and sustainable pasture, which is why the Government has established a system to have seeds that have been certified for pasture trees.
Therefore, the Government through the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries is encouraging every pastoralist to have their own area for pasture and avoid grazing livestock in a nomadic manner as it contributes to environmental destruction.
Dr. Kijaji said the Office of the Vice President is doing a good job of educating and sensitizing the community about recycling and waste separation and recognizing that they can be an asset for manufacturing products and protecting the environment.
As a result of this action, she urged citizens to continue to clean the environment from home and even workplaces in conjunction with planting trees to support the Government’s efforts to ensure that Tanzania becomes green.
Giving a statement at the pavilion of the Office of the Vice President, Coordinator of the Sustainable Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation (SLR) Project coordinated by the Office, Dr. Damas Mapunda said it enables citizens to carry out activities that do not damage the environment.
Dr. Mapunda said the project also enables citizens to earn an income including raising bees in forests which is one way to protect the environment.
She said that in the exhibition they have gathered entrepreneurs who are empowered by the project who display the products they produce while educating citizens about how the project liberates them.
Dr. Mapunda mentioned seven Councils benefiting from the project including Iringa Rural (Iringa), Mbeya and Mbarali Districts (Mbeya), Sumbawanga Rural Councils (Rukwa) as well as Tanganyika and Mpimbwe District Councils (Katavi).
The 2025 World Environment Day celebrations are inspired by the theme “Our Environment and the Future of Tanzania – Let’s Take Responsibility Now, Control Plastic Use” which aims to remind society that the environment and its resources are the foundation of life and livelihood.
The culmination of World Environment Day will be on June 05, 2025 at the Jakaya Kikwete Conference Centre in Dodoma and the guest of honor is expected to be the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan.
