From Wednesday this week Samoa is enforcing a ban on single use plastic bags from the country's supermarkets and food stores.
It is part of the scheme to counter plastic waste in the environment and is seen as the first step in a planned series of restrictions.
The principal waste environment officer for the Samoa Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, Sepoa Apo, says those businesses which flout the rules could face fines of up to 10,000 tala, or $US3,778 dollars.
He told Don Wiseman what motivated the government to take action.
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A torn plastic bag drifts over a tropical coral reef causing a hazard to marine life such as turtles. Photo: 123RF