Ban on plastics gain global acceptance

A new survey shows that three in four people globally support the ban of single plastic use, as Kenya is in talks to onboard countries in the region yet to join the bandwagon.

The survey is a result of a poll conducted by the research organisation IPSOS through the Global Advisory Survey and was conducted in 28 countries.

This was in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Plastic Free Foundation.

This is ahead of the fifth United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA) that will have world leaders initiate the process of signing a treaty that will regulate plastic pollution globally.

Should the treaty be signed as a legal agreement, it means that plastic pollution will be regulated at a global level and countries that may not have banned toxic use and production of plastic will have to conform.

“Our plastics crisis threatens to spiral out of control and it is high time for governments around the world to provide leadership. People worldwide have made their views clear. The onus and opportunity is now on governments to adopt a global plastics treaty - one that is legally binding and establishes global rules and regulations that address the full lifecycle of plastic - so we can eliminate plastic pollution in the environment by 2030. We cannot afford anything less,” said Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF International in a statement.

Kenya banned the use of single plastic in 2017 but Environment and Forestry Principal Secretary, Chris Kiptoo told journalists in a media briefing that the ban has not been fully embraced.

“We have not fully succeeded in the ban of plastic bags but we have made great progress. We are not aware of any manufacturer of plastic bags in Kenya but we know porous borders have been our greatest impediment,” said Mr Kiptoo.

As leaders will meet in Nairobi next week to possibly sign the plastic pollution treaty, Kenya is among two other countries co-sponsoring the legally binding agreement.

The other countries are Peru and Rwanda.

“We are looking forward to a regional approach to the ban of plastic bags and we will engage our neighbouring countries on this matter. Either way, our environment can only be managed if we are better stewards, we should be responsible people when littering,” said Mr Kiptoo.

The survey also established that 85 per cent of respondents are calling out manufacturers and retailers asking them to be held responsible for reducing, reusing and recycling plastic packaging.

Acting Deputy Executive Director for UNEP Sonja Leighton-Kone told journalists in a UNEA media briefing that the legally binding global agreement on plastic pollution is timely.

“The planet deserves a solution to this scourge that affects us all. We need a meaningful way moving forward so as to protect nature and leverage new ways of protecting the ecosystem,” she said.

A recent report by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) shows that every year, an estimated 11 million tonnes of plastic enter the world’s oceans. Another 300 million of tonnes of plastic is produced every year.

However, UNEP says that only 9 per cent of the plastic produced is recycled and the vast amount ends up polluting the environment. Unfortunately, the remaining plastic waste is broken down into micro-plastics which eventually ends up in our food, freshwater systems and air.