At this moment, Kenya is producing 48 million thin plastic bags per
year, with production increasing at a steady 8 to 10 percent
pace. This translates into 4,000 tons of plastic bags per month
to be used for shopping purposes. The City of Nairobi has been
successful in removing only 25% or 1,500 tons of its solid waste on
daily basis. With cities unable to keep up, the strain put on the
resources needed to clean up the increasing waste is alarming.
After Wangari Maathai, Kenya's Noble laureate, recently discovered that
the plastic bag litter creates breeding areas for malaria, Kenyan
government has taken action to deal with the issue. Besides for
the health hazards the extensive usage of plastic bags in Kenya caused
soil pollution and choked farm animals. Some of the propositions
to tackle the problem have been a ban on the 30 micron or less bags, a
scheme to support proper plastic bag recycling and an anti littering
campaign for consumers. The government had also proposed to tax
the plastic bags suppliers which will partially be used to develop
environmentally friendly bags. This will have a double benefit to
Kenya since such bags as cotton ones would not only benefit the
reduction in plastic bag use but also help Kenya’s cotton industry.
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