Preparing for the Single-Use Plastic Ban in Kenya
Sustainable Inclusive Business, in partnership with the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) invites you to participate in a Progressive Webinar, as we explore the industry’s preparedness ahead of the Single-Use Plastic Ban in Kenya, that will take effect in June 2020 in all protected areas. These include National Parks, beaches, forests, and conservation areas.
The action we take today will have a long-lasting impact on our environment and will future proof our businesses from externalities caused by plastic pollution. Now is the time to change your plastic diet.
Kenya has employed a lot of effort in tackling plastic, both from the government, civil society and the private sector. Since the Plastic Bag Ban Act 2017 took effect, we have seen behavioral and cultural changes across the country as Kenyans learn to bring their own bags and businesses find alternatives to packaging. However, there still remains a big need in the tourism/hospitality industry to address the remaining forms of waste and plastic use and waste management, like the single-use plastics, PET bottles, and packaging.
In a new legislation, the Kenyan government expects the private sector in the hospitality industry to recycle 50% of their waste by legal waste management companies.
In the new law and policy, the Kenyan government expects the private sector to take its role in reducing the use of plastic and to ensure these plastics are collected, sorted and recycled after use. Once the new Waste Management Bill has been accepted, one year will be given to implement accordingly. The government, through His Excellency, has also announced a ban on single-use plastic in beaches, national parks, and conservation areas as of June 5, 2020. It is very likely that Kenya will be guided by the EU single-use plastic ban interpretations. Therefore, we are aware of the urgency to organize ourselves before the looming ban finds us unprepared.
Businesses are showing a lot of initiatives to tackle plastic waste. This is very good for the environment and the creativity is encouraging; it also exposes a potential for greater positive impact: impact specifically led by the industry. Pledging and the willingness to act is the start, but how to apply circular business models (reduce, reuse, recycle) is a very new challenge for most businesses. How to implement alternatives, new methods without guidance and a clear dynamic directory is a struggle for most. To create positive communication (and education) around proposed action is another challenge. Yet those two challenges hold the greatest opportunities. On the implementations side it can lead to business developments, circular economy models with a great positive environmental and social impact and feel good, know better communication for clients around that will lead to strong sustainable hospitality/tourism branding.
