Revisiting Kenya’s Ban on Plastic Carrier Bags

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, non-biodegradable 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 ingests an average of 2.5 kgs of plastics, and this has been attributed to losses in the meat industry. 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 its 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.