Kenya Plastics Pact Commits To Combat Plastic Pollution

The Kenya Plastics Pact (KPP) has reiterated its commitment to work with like-minded partners to adopt strategies that contribute to a thriving Kenyan economy while reducing the negative impact of plastics on the environment and human health. The Pact, a collaborative platform comprising critical stakeholders from the government, the private sector among them manufacturers and retailers, Extended Producer Responsibility Organizations (EPR), civil society, and the informal waste sector, has announced its commitment to combat plastic pollution through innovative solutions. Plastic pollution has emerged as a global environmental crisis, with Kenya being no exception, an issue that has made the Kenya Plastics Pact to address the challenge by driving systemic change across the plastics value chain. Program Manager at Sustainable Inclusive Business, the KPP Secretariat Ebenezer Amadi said KPP is helping stakeholders in the plastics value chain to work together to redesign the plastics system, eliminate unnecessary and problematic plastic items, increase the recycling rate and reuse of plastics, and support a circular economy. ‘We seek to inspire change in how plastic is produced, used, and disposed of in Kenya and to serve as a model for other countries in the region and beyond,’ said Amadi. The KPP Secretariat said Kenya Plastics Pact aims to eliminate unnecessary or problematic single-use plastic packaging items through redesign, innovation, and reuse delivery models, ensure 100 percent of plastic packaging is reusable or recyclable, ensure 40 percent of plastic packaging is effectively recycled, as well as increase the average recycled content to 15 percent across all plastic packaging. In a press statement sent to newsrooms, Amadi noted that with result-oriented activities led by members and supporters, the Pact is focused on accelerating progress toward a sustainable future by establishing a shared vision, a collaborative action plan and ambitious targets towards creating a circular economy for plastics in Kenya. The Pact has been engaging its members for consultative workshops to forge a consensus on the best strategy for implementing the activities outlined in the Pact’s roadmap to 2030. Section 13 of the Act requires that all producers that introduce products to the Kenyan market bear mandatory responsibility for the post-consumer stage and their products’ lifecycles, from design and cleaner production, prioritize re-use, increase recycling rates for technical materials and safe disposal in an engineered landfill. By holding producers accountable for the entire product lifecycle, EPR promotes circularity and reduces the negative environmental impact of plastic waste. In her remarks, Faith Ngige, Coordinator, Climate Business Information Network- Kenya under the Kenya Private Sector Alliance, said the Pact plays a critical role by mobilizing private sector members and supporting the government and the PROs in education and awareness campaigns, especially regarding the producers’ obligations under the Act. She noted that the commencement date for the Sustainable Waste Management Act was 26th July 2022, saying the law was fully operational. NEMA has organized an info session for all producers in Kenya to elaborate on what is expected of them in demonstrating compliance with section 13 of the Sustainable Waste Management Act (2022). The session will be held virtually on Wednesday, 23rd August 2023, from 8:30 am, via this link: bit.ly/45vWBhG The Pact will also support its Members to comply with the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) provisions under the Sustainable Waste Management Act (2022), where one of the key objectives is alignment with the circular economy’s goals, including providing a framework for the responsible management of plastic waste.

Source: Kenya News Agency