War on single use plastics far from over, says CS Tuya

Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya admitted in Nakuru that the war against use of single use plastic is far from being won.

Tuya admitted before a gathering of environmentalists and stakeholders on World Environment Day on the shores of Lake Nakuru National Park that lack of enforcement was to blame the failure. 

She regretted single use plastics are finding their way back to supermarkets seven years after a ban was imposed. “As a country, having banned single use plastics, we relapsed. We did not sustain our enforcement. Single use plastic is finding its way back to our markets,” said Tuya.

Kenya banned the use of single plastics in August 2017 amid lots of protests from industry and other players who did not agree with the ban.

Non-biodegradable menace

 This ban was necessitated by the need to clear the environment of the non-biodegradable menace of the single use plastics which had become rampant and part of all packaging in Kenya.

Tuya put agencies and county environment committees across the country on notice and demanded they put their act together in a sustained effort to ensure gains attained are not lost.

She was clear that she expected less from the implementers in the war to and asked they clearly come up with set targets to achieve this in a sustained strategy to end the single use of plastics.

NEMA director general Mamo B Mamo Director did not contradict the admission by the CS after he concurred with her by also admitting much more need to be done.

Mamo alluded to the failure on influx of the illegal plastics finding their ways in to the country.

Kenya became one of the few countries to ban plastic bags globally, acting as a benchmark to the world and especially for our neighbours in East Africa.