Plastics Archives - AfricaBusiness.com

The year is 2016, outside a busy supermarket in one of Nairobi’s estates. Shoppers flow in and out carrying their groceries and other shopping items with plastic carrier bags. These are the order of the day, but their pollution to the environment is devastating. A year later in 2017, the Kenyan government would enact the ban on production, sale and use of plastics carrier bags. The ban is considered one of the sternest in the world and whose success rate is now recorded at approximately 80%. Fast forward to 2021, we have made tremendous strides in the fight against plastic pollution as a nation, with a ban on specific single use plastics in all protected areas taking effect from June 2020. There are also ongoing and ambitious plastics initiatives in the country, such as the Kenya Plastic A...

Studies have shown that there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. Marine life will be at risk if we do not act to mitigate the improper disposal of plastic. As the world continues struggling with proper waste management, different solutions have been suggested and adopted to manage the end-of-life of products, especially plastic and electronics. In Kenya, plastic waste disposal remains a major challenge. Plastic litter and dumped waste are degrading the environment— the impact of plastic pollution is felt across the world, with over 8 million tonnes of plastic finding its way into oceans every year. Even more troubling is that less than 10% of all plastic waste ever produced has been recycled, while 79% ends up in landfills, dumps, or the natural environment. With the inc...

Tag: Plastics

Why a Plastics Pact is recipe for better environmental management practices

Managing the end-of-life of products to accelerate a circular economy in Kenya