Hargeisa (SD) – Somaliland’s Minister of Environment, Shukri Haji Ismail Bandare, said the plastic bags were causing problems in the country and were being smuggled into the country.

The Minister called on the people of Somaliland to work together to eradicate the use and importation of plastic bags, noting that they pose a serious threat to the environment.

She called on the media to play a greater role in educating the public on the importance of eradicating plastic bag use and its effects on environmental degradation.

“We see plastic bags everywhere, even though they are banned, smugglers import them day and night, it is sold in shops, it is sold in every warehouse. So I call on the community to protest, that bags have turned us upside down, come up with whatever we can replaced it with, we must eradicate plastic bags from our country.” Minister Shukri said.

The minister added “ I say to the media that the environment is being worked on and you should be contributing, and play a key role in educating people about the dangers of plastic bags.”

The minister’s statement comes at a time when the government has recently banned the import, sale and promotion of plastic bags.