The Ministry of Environment has temporarily suspended the ban on plastic bottles after making a deal with the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) according to the chief administrative secretary Mohammed Elmi.
Speaking at the launch of the U-Turn Waste Project, Elmi said the Ministry has made the decision as it looks for a more sustainable way to manage plastics.
“We have formed an association with KAM whose aim is to find a sustainable way through which plastic packaging and bottles can be recycled, made more useful and friendly to the environment. We believe in the next five years up to 80 per cent of plastic bottles will be on the recycling loop. It will not only create employment, but will give honour to those currently tasked with the duty of collecting the waste,” he said.
The waste project is a joint venture between Unilever East Africa and Mr Green, a waste management service provider. The goal of the partnership is to recycle packaging materials such as plastics.
“This partnership has seen us unlock sustainable solutions to plastic waste management in Kenya,” the chief executive of Mr Green Africa Keiran Smith said.
The Plastic Bottles Ban
The ban of plastic bottles should have taken place in January this year following the ban of plastic bags in 2017.
In April this year, the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) corporate communications manager Evans Nyabuto told the Sunday Nation that the Authority had put aside plans to ban plastic bottles and was negotiating an alternative solution.
“There are no plans by the Ministry or Nema to ban plastic bottles in Kenya. Instead, negotiations are already at an advanced level to initiate a take-back scheme and encourage recycling,” he said.
According to the environmental ministry, about 50 million bottles are used yearly in Kenya contributing to the bulk of the waste disposed of into the environment.
