World Environment Day: Kenya bans single-use plastics in protected areas

Kenya has banned the use of single-use plastic as the world is celebrating the international environment day. The decision to ban single-use plastic in Kenya was taken in 2017, but the directive was legislated on June 5, 2019, by the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, through Gazette that stated the ban to take effect from June 4, 2020. The latest development comes three years after Kenya implemented one of the strictest bans on plastic bags in the world. Kenya had banned the use of plastic bags in the country in 2017 and since then it has attained over 80% success in enforcement. 

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Kenya's Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government and Ministry of Devolution and the ASALS in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife were identified to implement the ban. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry reportedly consulted diverse lead agencies and the private sector players such as Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM), and PETCO Kenya to agree on the implementation of this ban. 

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Implementation of ban

According to the ministry, for the effective implementation of the ban on single-use plastics government will promote mindset change and public participation on the use and management of single-use plastics. The government will promote the development and uptake of innovative and sustainable alternatives to SUPs and provide incentives to private sector players. 

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The overall goal of the action plan is to keep single-use plastics out of all protected areas. These protected areas are national parks, national reserves and wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, world heritage sites, beaches, protected forests, national monuments such as The Kaya forest, etc. 

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