Unep calls for coordinated approach to plastics ban

The United Nations Environment Programme on Tuesday called for regional collaboration to combat plastic waste.

UNEP director and Africa regional representative Juliette Biao said the ability to cope with plastic is already overwhelming.

"Only nine per cent of nine billion tons of plastics the world has ever produced has been recycled. Most ends up in landfills, dumps or in the environment," she said.

Biao said when such waste blocks waterways, it exacerbates natural disasters, providing breeding ground for mosquitoes and other pests.

She said plastic waste, being a trans-boundary concern, requires a collaborative approach.

"Great strides have been made in the East Africa region, with Kenya having banned single-use plastic bags in 2017 and single-use plastics in national parks during this year's World Environment Day."

Biao spoke at Kenya Wildlife Service during the launch of the second voyage for Fliflopi, the world's first 100 per cent recycled boat made entirely from marine waste collected from Coast beaches.

The boat will raise awareness about plastic pollution in Lake Victoria during the voyage following a successful trip from Lamu to Cape Town, a journey of 5,250km in January last year.

Kenya banned single-use carrier bags in February 2017 and the ban went into effect on August 28, that year.

Previous attempts to ban plastics in Kenya had flopped.

In 2007, the government issued a ban on bags below 0.3mm in thickness. The ban failed.

In January 2011, Nema declared a ban on bags below 0.6mm in thickness without success.

In 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced a ban on single-use plastics on beaches, in national parks, forests and conservation areas. The ban became effective on June 5.

The Wildlife Conversation and Management Act, 2013 defines a protected area as a geographical space recognised, dedicated and managed through legal or other effective means to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values.

It makes it an offence to pollute protected areas. Offenders, upon conviction, are fined not less than Sh2 million or jailed for not less than five years, or both.

Biao said plastics are estimated to make up as much as 95 per cent of marine litter on coastlines, sea service and the ocean floor.

An estimated 4.8-12.7 million metric tons of plastics entered the ocean from land-based sources in 2010 and another eight metric tons have entered the ocean each year since then.

"We need to get smarter about plastic by adopting a more circular economy model," she said.

Biao said there is a need for the private sector to understand that the ban on plastic offers opportunity.

She said out of 54 countries she covers, at least 20 are at various stages of banning plastics.

Edited by Henry Makori