Researchers recommend ban on use of thin plastic bags

Researchers in Kenya have recommended that thin plastic bags, widely used across the country for carrying shopping, be banned because they pollute the environment and are a potential health hazard.

In a report released during the 21-25 February meeting of the Governing Council of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, the researchers also recommended that taxes on the manufacture of thicker plastic bags be hiked to discourage their use.

Cash raised from the levy would go towards the setting up of efficient and effective re-cycling schemes, the report added.

It said that based on a study by the Kenyan National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) and the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), shops alone used an estimated 100 million plastic bags each year.

The bags, many of which were so flimsy that they were disposed of after a single use, littered both rural and urban environments, blocked gutters and drains, choked farm animals and marine wildlife and polluted the soil as they gradually broke down, the UNEP-funded report noted.

Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner and the Kenyan assistant minister for environment, has also linked plastic bag litter with malaria. According to Maathai, the bags, once discarded, fill with rainwater, offering ideal breeding grounds for malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

The recommended ban and tax increase were among proposals aimed at reducing the use of polythene bags and providing funds for alternative, more environmentally friendly carriers such as cotton or sisal bags.

"I applaud this thoughtful and comprehensive study on the problems and possible solutions to Kenya, and particularly Nairobi's waste problems," Klaus Toepfer, UNEP's Executive Director, said.

"This is not just a problem for this country. Wastes are an increasing problem everywhere, particularly in developing countries," Toepfer added.

Thiagarajan Ramamurthy, director of operations at Nakumatt Holdings, one of Kenya's largest supermarket chains, said his company backed efforts to reduce plastic bag use.

"Approximately eight million bags are given out by supermarkets alone every month," he said. "We are concerned by this problem and willing to participate and support any initiative to manage this especially in the promotion of biodegradable products."

According to the report, an estimated 4,000 mt of the thin plastic bags, referred to in the report as "flexibles", are produced each month in Kenya, mainly for shopping purposes and for packing products like bread.