Revisiting Kenya’s Ban on Plastic Carrier Bags. Kenya Policy Briefs

Abstract

Plastic waste is one of Nairobi’s and to a greater extent Kenya’s most visible environmental problems, with most of the flooding witnessed in cities attributed to plastic waste that clogs drainage systems, key among them are plastic carrier bags. These are lightweight nonbiodegradable materials that take ages to decompose. They reduce the aesthetic value of both the natural and physical environment and have since proven to have negative impacts on marine life, livestock and human beings. It is estimated that in their lifetime, livestock ingest an average of 2.5 kgs of plastics and this has been attributed to losses in the meat industry. UNEP (2018) reports that between 60% to 80% of waste in the oceans is made of plastics. Also, about 275 metric tonnes of waste generated across 192 coastal countries is made of plastics. Plastic waste generated continued to significantly increase. In 2015, it is estimated that 300 million tonnes of plastic waste were generated. These worrying statistics have got the attention of most governments. According to UNEP, at least 60 nations have banned single-use plastics while others have employed measures that include marketbased approaches (levies/tax) and publicprivate agreements to help reduce the consumption of the material. In these nations, 50% of them have little to report since most of them enforced the ban recently and there is poor enforcement. Kenya introduced the ban through Gazette notice No. 2356 in 2017. At the time of introduction, about 1 million plastic bags were consumed annually in supermarkets alone. Nairobi City County generates over 2,400 tonnes of waste daily and has alluded to their inability to manage the waste which mostly consists of food and plastics. Half the waste goes to the Dandora dumpsite while the remaining waste is either illegally dumped or left uncollected. Nations must strive to produce and consume sustainably in an environment that is clean and healthy. Governance effectiveness is measured when regulatory systems can meet policy needs. More than two years after the ban in Kenya, plastic carrier bags are still in circulation