Nairobi shoppers to pay for plastic bags in proposed law
A man collects polythene papers whose use will attract a levy in Nairobi if a Bill passes. PHOTO | FILE
Nairobi shoppers will pay a fee for using plastic bags to carry goods if a new Bill that seeks to curb pollution is signed into law.
The county assembly will set charges depending on the quality and size of plastic bags, further choking households already struggling to make ends meet.
The Bill has been re-introduced after it was withdrawn in November 2014 to pave the way for more consultations.
The proposed law, sponsored by Umoja MCA Njoroge Maina, is aimed at encouraging the re-use of paper bags or the use of alternatives to reduce plastic waste generation.
“No retailer shall make available to consumers any plastic carry bag free of charge,” the Nairobi City County Plastic Control Bill, 2016 says.
“The relevant department shall in accordance with Section 5 of the Statutory Instruments Act, 2013 prescribe the price of plastic bags depending on their quality and size which covers their waste management costs.”
The sale of plastic bags will offer retailers an extra revenue stream. The 2014 Bill had required them to remit the proceeds to City Hall for use in environmental management but the current Bill has struck out that provision.
The earlier Bill had also set a minimum size and thickness for the plastic bags but the current Bill has directed that manufacturers only need to follow the standards set by Kenya Bureau of Standards.
Retailers who fail to charge customers for the bags could be jailed for up to 12 months or fined up to Sh3 million or both. The Bill captures the entire retail chain, including supermarkets, large stores, small corner shops and grocery stores.
The intention of the Bill is to reduce the use of polythene plastic bags. It is the latest attempt by Kenya and the region to curb their usage.
Figures from Wales and Ireland show that taxes have had a dramatic and immediate effect of reducing use of plastics by 80 per cent or more, the BBC reports.
Kenya has previously tried to rein in pollution from polythene but lax enforcement has left many suburbs and rivers choking with the waste.
In 2007 the Treasury moved to slap a 120 per cent levy on plastics to protect the environment from degradation. It also proposed a ban on very thin plastic bags.
Protests by traders that the 120 per cent tax would make the plastic bags too expensive forced the parliamentary committee on Trade and Finance to propose introduction of a green tax instead.
The East African Community has been pushing for introduction of a levy on producers of polythene materials.
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