Ideas & Debate

Why Kenya must get rid of plastic bags

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Traders selling plastic bags. file photo | nmg

That plastic bags have been with us for over half a century is quite astounding looking at the debilitating effect they have had on the course of human civilisation, especially the environment.

In 2003, the US Environmental Protection Agency estimated global plastic consumption at close to half a trillion bags a year. This widespread use is mainly attributed to the low cost and convenience associated with them.

In fact, only less than 1 per cent of these bags are reused as it costs more to recycle a bag than to produce a new one. Of these, a substantial percentage ends up in the ocean.

The key problem is that plastic bags photodegrade; over time they break down into smaller, more toxic petro-polymers which eventually contaminate soils and waterways and consequently enter the human, flora and fauna food chain.

Perhaps many people do not know that already nearly 90 per cent of the debris in the oceans is plastic. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reckons that the negative impact of the ongoing accumulation of plastic debris around the world includes birds entanglement leading to death.

More than 200 different species of sea life adding up to a total of 100,000 whales, dolphins, seals and turtles die annually due to plastic bag ingestion. Others die after being trapped by plastic bags.

Even more worrying is the fact that when an animal dies and decays after ingesting a bag, the plastic re-enters the environment, posing a continuous threat to the eco-system.

Statistics indicate that between 2010 and 2014, annual plastics production in Kenya expanded by a third to 400,000 tonnes. Plastic bags made up a large part of the growth.

Kenya has for a long time suffered greatly from the negative effects of plastic bags. They have caused clogging of drainages and rivers, ultimately contributing to floods in different parts of the country. They have also been blamed for the death of marine and domestic animals.

The Kenya Climate Innovation Centre (KCIC) found that for the longest time, plastic bags have been a major eyesore in all parts of Kenya, the major challenge being the mode of disposal.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) notes that plastic bag litter causes visual, noise and thermal pollution, which are not good for a tourism-centered economy like Kenya.

The Kenya Institute of Public Policy Analysis (Kippra) also notes that when filled with rainwater, plastic bag litter becomes breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Environment Principal Secretary Judy Wakhungu says “paper contributes 9 per cent of total waste in Kenya.”

Most importantly, they account for more than 90 per cent of the environmental degradation.

It is evident that plastic production, consumption and waste management is a huge problem in Kenya.

Kenya is one of the African countries that in the past partially banned plastics by setting a minimum thickness of bags to be manufactured locally and/ or imported.

Ms Wakhungu recently announced that Kenya will ban plastic bags on September 1, 2017. This has elicited mixed reactions.

Kenya has tried to ban polythene bags twice before, in 2007 and 2011, without much success. This latest measure is broader but few are ready for it. The Kenyan Association of Manufacturers says it will cost thousands of jobs and massive investment running into billions of dollars.

Some worry that supermarkets will simply switch to paper bags, which could add to deforestation. Then there is the question of whether Kenyan consumers will accept it. In Rwanda, since its ban was imposed, though positive environmental benefits have been registered, a thriving underground industry has emerged smuggling the bags from neighbouring Congo.

KCIC proposes that reusable bags, though costly to produce, may be the long-term solution. Sensitisation on waste management especially in the public space is critical if littering along the roads, drainages and undesignated dumping areas is to be tackled.

Legislating against plastic production and consumption has been done elsewhere to significant success. Countries which have done so include in Bangladesh and Ireland since 2002, Denmark since 2003, Brazil, France and Belgium (2007), China (2008), Mexico ( 2010), Italy as well as Wales (2011) and Scotland (2014).

Should Kenya be any exception?

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