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Dubai: The South African Government imposed a blanket ban on all plastic bags thinner than 30 microns in 2003.
The thickness of a human hair is 50 microns.
The plastic bag industry was given a year to phase out thin plastic bags and to replace them with thicker ones.
The South African Government collects a small environmental levy per shopping bag. The thicker plastic bags are more expensive to make, therefore it became too costly for retailers to give them away for free.
Shoppers were encouraged to re-use bags or use alternatives. Many people now use cloth or paper bags.
Taxes on durable bags helped to provide revenue for plastic bag recycling companies.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions estimated that the ban caused 3,800 workers in the plastic bag industry to lose their jobs.
However, many new jobs were created in recycling industries and other jobs in plastic manufacturing and the retail sectors were retained.
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