The Kenya PET Recycling Company, an NGO, is to promote effective plastic waste management.
Kenya is among the few African countries that have made strides in tackling plastic pollution. Besides imposing a plastics ban, the government has allowed self-regulation by industry players in the management of recyclable bottles. The company is meant to achieve this objective on behalf of the bottle packagers.
Last Wednesday, PETCO country programmes manager Joyce Waweru said the firm will lead collection and recycling of 20 per cent of the plastic waste by the end of the year.
“The industry generates about 20,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year, but only five per cent of this or 1,000 tonnes is collected and recycled,” Waweru said on the sidelines of the Sustainable Blue Economic Conference 2018 at KICC, Nairobi.
“Eventually, the target is to collect and recycle 70 per cent or 14,000 tonnes of the plastic waste in the entire country by 2025.”
During the summit, Kenya pledged to protect aquatic resources, and adopt policies, strategies and mechanisms to harness blue economy while confronting river, ocean and lake pollution.
The government committed to responsible and sustainable fishing to conserve endangered species and ensure safety and security in the high seas for smooth global trade.
The Kenya PET Recycling Company and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers have signed a deal on holistic management of plastic bottles. Manufacturers, through KAM and PETCO Kenya, agreed to jointly develop strategies, initiatives and infrastructure to promote efficiency of collection, processing and recycling of plastic bottles. They said this will improve socioeconomic growth, especially among waste collectors.
“Management of water bodies is a global challenge. There is overfishing, acidification, warming, deoxygenation, plastic pollution and counterproductive subsidies. All these factors play a role in the deterioration of marine environments and fish populations,” Waweru said.
Kenya plans to conserve at least 10 per cent of the coastal and marine area by 2022 in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.