The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) will close markets where a huge number of plastic bags will be nabbed during the ongoing crackdown in the Western Region. The Western Regional Director of NEMA, Anthony Saisi, said the region is still lagging behind in complying with the use of alternative packaging materials, especially among small traders. He also warned manufacturers who supply the single plastic bags for collaborating with traders who provide a market for them. Saisi was speaking during the World Environment Day after leading a crackdown where they nabbed 15 bales of plastic bags at Kambi ya Mwanza in Kakamega. He challenged sub-county and ward administrators to support the management of plastic bags, and he asked stakeholders to work with the authority to control the entry of plastic materials from neighboring countries. Speaking at the same function, the County Chief Officer for Environment, Natural Resources, and Climate Change, Justin Makari Mutobera, said the county government was supporting efforts by the National Government to move from a linear economy to a circular economy and to eliminate single-use plastic. He said the county government will support NEMA in enforcing the ban on the use of plastic bags while encouraging the recycling of plastic water bottles. He also asked residents to plant trees to increase forest cover, which will in turn mitigate against the effects of climate change, adding: ‘The county government will also boost the capacity of women’s groups who produce briquettes from sugarcane bagasse to control the felling of trees.’

Source: Kenya News Agency