NAIROBI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's waste management lobby on Friday opposed the government's plastic ban that takes effect on Aug. 28 on the grounds that it will lead to the loss of thousands of jobs that are dependent on plastic bags.
Chege Kariuki, chairman of Waste and Environment Association of Kenya (WEMAK), told a media briefing in Nairobi that while waste bin liners have in theory been exempted from the ban, this is really not the case.
"The conditions set for waste companies as well as manufacturers to receive an exemption are such that it will be impossible for the waste management industry to comply. As a result we envisage that the sector will have to scale down operations and hence reduce its workforce in order to comply with the law," Kariuki said.
The environment ministry has banned the use, manufacture and importation of all plastic bags used for commercial and household packaging.
The ban targeted carrier bags with handles, with or without gussets, or flat bags without handles and with or without gussets.
Offenders face 40,000 U.S. dollar fine or four months imprisonment. A group of manufacturers and importers of plastic bags have gone to court to prevent the plastic ban from taking effect on Monday.
The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) has urged Kenyans to use alternatives such as bags made from cloth, sisal or paper.
Kariuki said that the waste management sector has increased tremendously in the past two decades due to rapid urbanization.
"The development of high rise flats makes it more convenient for waste to be carried via plastic bags as opposed to bulky waste bins," he added. The plastic ban outlaws use of plastic waste bin liners.
The chairman said that using other alternatives to plastic waste bin liners will also not be possible due to their prohibitive costs.
"So unless the government reconsiders the ban, waste management will become impossible for all waste companies from next week," he added.
