Despite recent and surprisingly rapid modernization, Botswana’s cities provide little in the way of tourist attractions. However, what the cities lack in excitement, the surrounding wilderness areas more than make up for in outstanding natural beauty. The country’s primary tourist draw card is undoubtedly the vast red expanse of the Kalahari desert and its remarkably beautiful Okavango Delta - the largest inland delta in the world provide a haven for an abundance of African wildlife. Other highlights include the impressive Makgadikgadi salt pans where visitors are privy to massive zebra migrations during the flood season; the Savuti plains which host large prides of lions; and the Tsodilo Hills where 4500 rock paintings form a unique record of human settlement over many millennia.
Plastic carrier bags prohibited
The use of plastic carrier bags and plastic flat bags will no longer be allowed in Botswana as the Plastic Carrier Bags and Plastic Flat Bags Prohibition Regulations, 2018 will come into operation on the 1st November 2018.
The ban will however not apply to the following for health and hygiene purposes: a. Bread bag- this refers to plastic bags used for packaging bread, Plastic bin liner- refers to plastic bags used for lining refuse bins or refuse receptacles, Barrier bag-thin or flimsy plastic bag used to separate products at final point of sale and Plastic refuse bag- plastic bag designed for carrying waste,” the statement reads in part.
It also explains that ‘Primary packaging’ refers to plastic packaging that is in direct contact with the product for purposes of containing the product during transportation or handling to the point of distribution or point of use.
The public is further informed that any person contravening the regulations on the prohibition of the plastic carrier bag and plastic flat bag will be committing an offence and will be liable to the following: for a first offender, the plastic carrier bag or the flat bag will be confiscated, for a second or subsequent offence the person will be liable to a fine not exceeding P5, 000.00 or to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 30 days or both.
