You mentioned this in your article but I just want to confirm: so there IS still processed food being widely sold? It doesn’t come up in most articles about Rwanda’s ban, but as you live there, you would be shopping more than other reporters. I just find it curious because in countries where the custom is just throwing trash out the window, usually it seems the piles that form are pretty equally (or more so) made up of processed food packaging or bottles. Which don’t just come from the shiny supermarkets, but are sold at tiny mom-and-pop shops as well.
The concept of searching tourist luggage for plastic bags surprises me, because after living in two plastic-loving countries (the US and Thailand), I would absolutely not say it’s visitors that are generating all the plastic waste…it’s based on local shopping style. It’s hard to tell how strictly or consistently Rwanda applies this bag-search policy.
Some articles I’ve seen make it seem like only shopping bags (w/ handles) are banned, is that right? So something like tea could still be wrapped in plastic? Shrink-wrap around a box? Or what about the plastic zip bags for toiletries that are an actual requirement for travelers in every single country around the world? I’m not even planning to go to Rwanda anytime soon, but I’m just so curious about how this ban is applied!
