Kenya has become the latest country to ban plastic bags, with the toughest laws yet. The country now has a total ban on manufacturing, importing and using plastic bags and importers and manufacturers who do not comply face fines of up to 4 million Kenyan shillings — equivalent to $38,000 or Dh139,500 — or a four-year jail term.
Leading environmental champions and lobby groups, including Greenpeace and UN Environment, praised the move, terming it “a beacon of hope” in fostering an environmentally conscious society.
The anti-plastic drive became law on February 28 but allowed a six-month window for compliance. Kenya now joins Cameroon, Eritrea, Mauritania, Morocco, Tanzania and Bangladesh in a complete ban on plastic bags. Other nations in Africa and Asia have also imposed bans on plastic of a certain thickness in the last decade, but the laws are not always enforced. For example, Uganda banned the sale of lightweight plastic bags in 2007 and taxed thicker plastic bags at the punitive rate of 120 per cent but there has been little reduction in plastic bag usage. Other countries with a ban in place have seen a thriving black market develop for plastic bags.
However, no country has introduced a law as tough as Kenya's, which punishes offenders with prison.
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Design dilemma: On creating a more environmentally friendly existence
Plastic king Robert Bezeau has built a castle out of used bottles. Now he's making a village
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Environmental organisations have hailed Kenya's new law as exemplary.
"Pollution from throwaway plastic is an ecological and public health disaster, and we welcome the leadership that Kenya is taking on this," Erik Solheim, head of the Nairobi-based UN Environment told The National. "UN Environment has worked with the Kenyan government and the plastics industry to transition from plastic bag usage and brought in experts from Uganda and Rwanda to share lessons on how others have implemented this change."
Kenya's National Environment Management Authority have installed collection centres in all major retail outlets around the country for people to dispose of their now illegal plastic bags.
David Ongare, of Kenya's National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) says the push to ban plastic bags started in 2007. "We have been holding meetings with the key stakeholders, including manufacturers, importers and retail shops," he told the National.
But the manufacturing industry called for "a middle ground" to stave off economic slowdown.
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Read more:
Plastic bag use plummets in England after levy introduction
Plastic bag use must be curbed
People should pay Dh1 for plastic bags in the UAE, says the green sheikh
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"The manufacturers want a way forward, we want clarity on the implementation of the ban,” said Phyllis Wakiaga, chief executive of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. “Can we have a middle ground? We want clean environment and economic growth to go hand in hand.”
According to UN Environment, more than 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans every year, where they not only become a health hazard and public nuisance but also affect marine life, fisheries and tourism. They also take 50 to 1,000 years to biodegrade, said Greenpeace Africa's executive director, Njeri Kabeberi, who advocates a return to traditional handwoven "kiondo" baskets.
Habib El Habr, coordinator for the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities (GPA) said plastic pollution is "one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time, harming wildlife through entanglement or ingestion, affecting air quality through burning and contributing to floods by clogging up drains”.
In recent years, huge numbers of plastic bags have been found in the stomachs of livestock being processed for human consumption in Nairobi’s abattoirs. Grazing cattle eat the bags and when it clogs up their system, they die from malnutrition.
“If this ban works, it will be a massive breakthrough for reducing plastic pollution which is causing huge damage to the planet. We hope other countries will also step up and take decisive action," Mr El Habr said.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The five pillars of Islam
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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MATCH INFO
Red Star Belgrade v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight (Thursday), UAE
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
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Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free