NEMA Heralds Resounding Success of Kenya’s Plastic Bag Ban

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Kenyan National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), in its latest review, noted that the plastic bag ban imposed in the country in 2017, has been a tremendous success.

As per NEMA’s assessment, nearly 80% of the Kenyan population has stopped using plastic carrier bags since the implementation of the ban. Also, streets, drains, sewer lines and rivers which were earlier very much polluted with plastic bags are now much cleaner. According to NEMA, nearly 500 arrests have been made for carrying banned plastic bags. Out of them, almost 300 have been prosecuted.

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Meantime, there are reports that vendors in the country continue to use transparent single-use bags to pack vegetables. These bags are smuggled from other countries such as Uganda and Somalia.

Further to success of the ban on single-use plastic bags, the Kenyan authorities are currently planning to restrict use of more single-use plastics. Accordingly, plastics will be banned from parks and beaches effective June this year.

Kenya’s plastic bag ban is considered as the strictest in the world. The violators of the ban are bound for serious punishment including prison sentence of up to four years or fines up to $40,000.