Kenya being one of the developing countries faces the problem of plastic waste management. The challenge of Plastic Waste Management is real. Collection systems are inefficient and disposal systems are not environmentally friendly. 30 to 40 per cent of all plastic waste generated in urban areas is uncollected and less than 50 per cent of the population is served. Some research show that if the issue of sustainable plastic waste management in Kenya is not considered urgently, all the towns in Kenya will be engulfed in waste.
Most of plastics end up in dumping sites, rivers, oceans, road sides, drainages and others are just burnt openly with no controls limit. There are policies put in pace but they are yet to be practiced. The picture below shows one of the many dumb sites in Kenya.
However, there have been efforts to help curb this menace of unmanaged waste. The government banned the use of plastic paper bags, which means that anyone found selling, manufacturing or carrying them could face fines of up to $38,000 or prison sentences of up to four years. Some NGOs too have put efforts in helping clean the beaches, drainages and the rivers too. Some communities too have united and come up with some innovative ways of reusing the plastic waste. Good example is the Watamu community that is along the coast reuse the plastic waste from the ocean shores to
make decors, construction materials and other items.
Autor
Jeniffer Kirimi
Austauschstudentin aus Kenia