Before the ban
Any time earlier than the third quarter of 2017 was carefree, straightforward and in hindsight, environmentally irresponsible. Before then, we used single-use plastic bags for everything from bearing a month’s shopping, to greasy chips, to a week’s supply of fruits from the local fruit seller. They were the backbone of the economy, and the average household had at least fifty of them in its possession at any point. The smooth black, white, and green bags were convenient and very affordable, but became a menace when not disposed of properly. They decorated sewers, trees and fences not only during the Christmas festivities but throughout the year. A whopping 50% of cows slaughtered within Nairobi and its environs were reported to have ingested plastic bags, contributing to the necessitation of the ban.
2017 – The turning point
In February 2017, Kenya broke records not only on the running track but also by being the third country in Africa to ban single-use plastics. We won the bronze medal after Rwanda and Morocco, but had the most stringent measures in place. The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources issued a gazette notice banning the use, manufacture, and importation of plastic bags for commercial and households. Those who would break this law faced suffocation by a heavy fine of Ksh. 4 million or a jail term of four years.
The ban would take effect in August 2017, 6 months after the notice was given. This triggered a paradigm shift around the country. Kenyans scrambled to find alternatives to the single-use plastics that had become a big part of our daily lives. The hardest hit were supermarkets, which would hand out 100 million plastic bags annually.
Progress and challenges 8 years on
8 years later, we have seen a shift towards brown khaki bags and ‘Uhuru’ bags, the non-woven bags coined after the former Kenyan president who enacted the ban. Supermarkets have now adapted to packing shopping in stronger, longer lasting and much more eco-friendly bags. The sight of plastic bags remains a vague memory for many Kenyans.
As a nation, we have taken strides to reduce plastic pollution on other fronts, like banning disposable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in national parks, reserves and forests. There has been a positive shift towards reusable bags, bottles and cups, but we need to do much more to bolster our efforts. The onus is on us as Kenyans to curb the littering habit because despite the ban, our rivers, roadsides and residential areas are still full of stubborn reminders that all change starts in the mind.
For more information, visit our Environment Management section.
