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Marine conservationists have warned about the dangers of plastic waste in the Indian Ocean and on beaches, calling for better waste disposal strategies along the coastline.

Speaking during a clean-up exercise at the Mazingira Beach in Kilifi County, the environmentalists led by the County’s Environment Director Jimmy Kahindia said that there is need to develop policies that will lead to banning particular types of plastics that should not be used at the beaches.

“The Kenyan laws guiding the microplastics management are a bit silent. This means that stakeholders should find a way to develop policies that help to tackle this challenge. This conversation should include other countries in the region because plastic wastes also originate from other countries that share the coastline,” he reveals.

Alice Wanjiru, a 10-year old climate action activist, says that oceans play a critical role in sustaining life on earth, especially by being a source of food and livelihood for millions around the globe. However, it is now facing unprecedented threats through pollution, overfishing and climate change.  

“We must now confront the harsh reality of its degradation. The litter that mars these pristine shores, the plastic waste that chokes marine life, and the loss of precious ecosystems demand our immediate attention and action,” she notes.

Littered across the 600km coastline are plastic bottles, bottle caps, bubble gum wrappers, straws, lollipop sticks, single-use packaging materials, single-use cups and plates.

 According to the 2021-30 National Marine Litter Management Action Plan prepared by the Environment Ministry and Nema, Kenya’s coastal and marine ecosystems are valued at more than $4.4 billion annually.

 “The coastal and marine ecosystems continue to face huge pressure from natural and human activities, such as climate change, resource overexploitation, habitat destruction and pollution,” the plan reads.

Stephen Otieno, a leader with a community based environmental organization in Kilifi Town, says that once the plastic waste gets into the ocean water, it takes a long time before it decays. Additionally, he says that living organisms in the water are at risk of absorbing the microparticles from the waste, which then are absorbed by human beings and may have long term negative effects.

“Marine litter pollution compounds the existing pressures with adverse implications on the integrity of the coastal and marine ecosystems,” he explains. Despite Kenya banning single-use plastics in 2020, many traders continue to sell water and refreshments in plastic bottles along the beach.