Rwanda on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to ending single-use plastics at an event marking World Environment Day.

The celebration in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, featured an exhibition by private sector companies showcasing alternatives to plastic material.

"We can all play our part in ending plastic pollution by using less plastic, recycling more to avoid the cost of inaction," Rwandan Minister of Environment Jeanne d'Arc Mujawamariya said during the event.

Mujawamariya urged public and private institutions to adopt the culture of having water dispensers at workplaces and reusable bottles to minimize the habit of unnecessary consumption and disposal of single-use plastic items that pollute the environment.

The Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) warned that most plastic items end up polluting the environment because they are not biodegradable.

"Plastics are a burden to the environment and have a negative impact on people's health. It leads to land degradation, pollutes water and clog the water drainage system, leading to flooding," said Juliet Kabera, director general of REMA. She urged industries particularly bakeries to avoid continued use of plastic bags, saying alternative packaging materials are on the market.

Rwanda's efforts to tackle plastics are demonstrated through relevant laws that were introduced as early as 2008 when the country passed its first law banning the manufacture, import, use, and sale of polyethylene bags.

In 2019, the East African country adopted a law that began the phasing out of single-use plastics. It prohibits the manufacturing, importation, use, and sale of single-use plastic items in the country. The law also imposes stiff fines against people using single-use plastics.

The prohibited items include single-use plastic packaging materials for food and other products, plastic straws, and plastic cutlery, among others. Roughly 6,000 tonnes of single-use plastic waste is collected for recycling in Rwanda every year, according to REMA.