Has the single-use plastic bag ban been working in Kenya?

Single-use plastic has a devastating impact on the environment. Even though the products are used only once, it takes hundreds of years for them to break down in landfills. Some of them never break down completely.

The scale of the problem is immense. Each minute, around 2 million single-use bags are used around the world. Every five minutes, around 5 million plastic bottles are bought. In some parts of the globe, the plastic problem is so serious that plastic products clog up sewage networks, leading to frequent floodings.

To curb the use of plastic, some countries have been trying to ban or limit certain plastic items. The most commonly introduced solutions include eliminating plastic straws or replacing plastic utensils added to takeaway orders with wooden ones. Kenya, however, took these efforts one step further.

In 2017, the country passed the world’s toughest ban on single-use plastic bags. Since then the manufacturing, sale, and distribution of plastic carry bags have been illegal. The goal of the ban was to make Kenya a global leader in environmental conservation. If a company is found importing or selling single-use plastic bags, they can face a fine of up to $40 000. If an individual is caught using one, they have to pay a $500 fine.

With the punishments being so severe, one could think that Kenya would be extremely clean. In reality, however,  plastic pollution remains one of the biggest challenges Kenya is dealing with.

Waste disposal systems are inadequate in many parts of the country and even though the number of single-use plastic bags has decreased since the ban was introduced, other plastic products can still be easily purchased.

Consequently, in Nairobi, streets are paved with empty plastic bottles and that people simply threw on the ground and plastic packagings are pilling up not only in the poorest neighbourhoods. In the many parts of the city, there those who work as sorters or garbage collectors cannot keep up with how much waste is produced. 

Despite the challenges, however, it can be stated that the ban has been effective. Prior to the ban, ‘plastic bags were everywhere, in the trees, in the puddles and on the road. They were like air, just everywhere’, a Kenyan student toldDeutsche Welle.

Even though other plastic products are still polluting the cities, plastic bags can no longer be seen in the streets. That already represents a milestone in Kenya’s endeavour to be more environmentally friendly.

Moreover, Kenya has already done more than most governments around the world. In addition to the single-use plastic bag ban, in 2020, Kenya banned all kinds of single-use plastics such as water bottles or straws in protected areas. That means that using these products in national parks, forests, or beaches is not allowed.

Kenya is committed to addressing the problem of plastic pollution and there is hope that other African nations will soon follow its example. Prevening the global plastic pollution catastrophe can be achieved only through collective efforts. While it is true that Kenya still has a lot of work to do in terms of making its cities cleaner and improving the effectiveness of waste disposal systems, its approach to dealing with single-use plastic bags should be an inspiration to other nations.

About the author:

Katarzyna Rybarczyk is a Political Correspondent for Immigration Advice Service, an immigration law firm based in the UK but operating globally. She has recently spent a month volunteering with vulnerable communities in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya.