Burundi’s Environment Minister Déo-Guide Rurema announced that he had brought forward a ban on plastic bags by six months after noting that the bags were still being used widely.

The ban comes into effect in a week’s time, however, Rurema did not elaborate on what penalties those who flout the ban would face.

Burundi banned the use of plastic bags in August 2018 with the government setting out a period of 18 months in which consumers and retailers were allowed to make the necessary adjustments before its implementation.

The government has previously insisted that locally produced, environmentally friendly bags should be used instead but residents who spoke to the BBC argued that the alternatives are not readily available.

With this, Burundi hopes to join other countries in the East African region which have implemented bans on single-use plastics or taken a measure against their use.

More than 60 other countries globally have banned, partly banned or taxed single-use plastic bags, including Kenya and Rwanda.

Single-use plastics are classified by the United Nations as one of the biggest global environmental challenges.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), pollution from plastic waste has reached epidemic proportions with an estimated 100 million tonnes of plastic now found in the oceans, 80-90% of which comes from land-based sources.

One hundred and seventy countries have pledged to “significantly reduce” the use of plastics by 2030.