Dodoma — THE public has been advised to get rid of using plastic bags in a bid to conserve environment.

The advice was given on Sunday during the World Clean Up Day in which Nipe Fagio led the advocacy day.

The day was specifically for raising awareness over waste management and pushing for better policies for plastic wastes recycling.

Speaking during the commemoration of the World Cleanup Day on Sunday, Nipe Fagio's Executive Director Ana Le Rocha said since her organisation was champion for World Cleanup Day in the country, it was working on a number of initiatives in collaboration with the government to bring to an end the use of plastic bags.

"We are very proud to lead the World Cleanup Day in Tanzania for the fifth year in a row, since 2018. This year we had events in eight locations in Dar es Salaam and twenty locations in other regions," she said.

"With waste being an issue in Tanzania, events like the World Cleanup Day are ways for us to engage people and to collect data through waste and brand audits, which help us identify the top polluters and sources of pollution in the country."

She was optimistic that such efforts will drive change in the environment and solid waste management in the country.

"One of the goals of organising the World Cleanup Day is to make people understand the pollution in our environment and collect data to advocate for measures, like Extended Producer Responsibility, that enable systemic change," she noted.

Nipe Fagio paid a special tribute to stakeholders and partners all over the country for their support, including community groups, volunteers, NGOs, local governments, schools and other key actors for making this year's World Cleanup Day a success.

"We need to work together so that we can address plastic pollution and make Tanzania a waste-free country through awareness raising, data collection and advocacy," she added.