Kenya, the beautiful East African nation sandwiched between Lake Victoria and the Indian Ocean, is well known for its breathtaking natural landscapes, wildlife preserves, rich, diverse cultural heritage, and resilient people. On its landmass sits the famous Mount Kenya, the second highest mountain in Africa, with its white snow cap like an elder, aged with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, looking over the vastness of the land he has acquired in his youthful age for his children and the generation yet unborn. That notwithstanding, the country whose name is derived from that ancient mountain is also a leader in Africa and the world in the fight against plastic waste pollution.
We are all plastic
When the Belgian chemist and marketer Leo Baekeland pioneered the first fully synthetic plastic in 1907, he was envisioning solving a problem for humanity by producing a strong, durable yet flexible material that would aid in the packaging of goods and food items. It was all good intentions from the very beginning, and it still is. But the very useful product we have made has created so many problems for us that its ripple effect will be felt for generations to come.
Plastics, being synthetic polymers, are by-products of petroleum. These polymeric materials cannot be ingested or decomposed by any microorganism, making them non-biodegradable. This means that every piece of plastic ever produced has not turned into compost yet; it is either recycled or left to pollute the land, soil, and water.
Plastic pollution is becoming a very serious environmental problem globally. Our landfills, soils, and water are polluted with plastic, and microplastics are beginning to enter our food, our bodies, and every aspect of our lives. Very tiny pieces of plastic found their way into water bodies and are mistaken for food by fish that, ingesting them, cannot digest them—sometimes leading to their death. In some cases, these really tiny bits of plastic remain in the bodies of these aquatic creatures, and when they are caught and used as food, the microplastics are ingested into our bodies, making their abode there. In the past, it was only the environment that was polluted with plastic, but now plastic is in our food, our bowels, and even in our blood, but we are still consuming it ignorantly. The presence of micro- and nanoplastics in the fetus and our bloodstream poses a serious health risk (Lang, 2022).
Kenya leading the fight against plastic pollution
Kenya is a leader in the fight against plastic pollution. The East African giant in 2017 placed a ban on single-use plastic, restricting its use in public places such as parks and gardens (Kimeu, 2023).
Kenya is also committed to the Clean Seas Initiative, the largest global campaign raising awareness about all kinds of plastic pollution and littering in the marine ecosystem. The Clean Seas engages with governments of nations—especially those who have access to the oceans—the general public, civil society organizations, and the private sector to fight against the littering of plastic in the marine ecosystem. Kenya has shown commitment to limiting the amount of plastic in its waterways; the banning of single-use plastic was just the tip of the iceberg. The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), through the Clean Seas Platform, is connecting and rallying individuals, civil society organizations, industry, and governments to accelerate change and bring about habits, practices, standards, and policies around the world to consistently reduce the littering of the marine ecosystem and its negative impacts. The Kenyan government is also committed to putting in place policies, harnessing the economic potential of its oceans and coastlines, and reducing plastic pollution that threatens food security, marine life, and overall public health (UNEP, 2021).
Challenges of Organic Waste Plastic Pollution
Organic waste Plastic pollution refers to plastic waste that emanates from organic materials and contagious organic waste streams. Organic waste is biodegradable material from living things such as plants and animals. These wastes can be food scraps, meat, dairy products, leaves, vegetables, fruits, and wood products such as paper, tissue, cardboard, etc. They are biodegradable—capable of being decomposed by bacteria and other living organisms—and do not cause pollution in the environment for long. In fact, after being degraded by bacteria, they form compost, which adds nutrients to the soil needed for plant growth.
Plastic waste, on the other hand, is made of non-biodegradable synthetic materials derived from fossil fuels. Being non-biodegradable means that they cannot be acted upon by bacteria and can persist in the environment for hundreds of years. There are different types of plastic; some are recyclable, while others are not.
The combination of organic waste and plastic waste results in organic waste and plastic pollution. This occurs when plastic items, such as plastic food packaging, used for organic materials end up contaminating organic waste streams. In other words, organic waste streams would naturally biodegrade and become compost, enriching the soil, but the presence of plastic waste in this mix causes a serious environmental problem. When plastics broken down into tiny fragments called microplastics mix with organic waste intended for composting, it contaminates the final compost product, which can cause harm to soil health by potentially entering the food chain, thereby making them unsuitable for gardening or agricultural purposes.
Organic waste and plastic pollution pose a lot of challenges. It contaminates organic waste streams, polluting the environment and making them unsuitable for soil intake or agriculture. It poses a challenge to recycling. The separation of these plastics from their organic components is very difficult and expensive, and this kind of waste is unsuitable for industrial composting facilities, making them unusable.
Tackling the challenges
Though organic waste pollution poses some challenges, Kenya focuses on a more holistic approach to managing these wastes. The ban on single-use plastic is crucial in addressing these challenges; the reduction of this kind of plastic notwithstanding, the government is also liaising with other stakeholders in the country and beyond to tackle the challenges. The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) is one such body helping the government in the fight against plastic waste pollution. They play an important role because they are the producers of some of the goods people consume, and some of these goods involve the use of plastic, especially organic plastic, which becomes waste after use, causing pollution.
The Kenya Association of Manufactures has launched an action plan to sustainably manage plastic waste in the country. The plan is aimed at helping the country attain a circular economy. To achieve this, the public and private sectors have to undertake specific actions. This includes waste management at the country level. In essence, all waste generated in the country is to be managed by government organs set up for that purpose. Another action to be undertaken is the formation and regulation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes in the country. This strategy ensures proper collection and disposal of items after use, holding the producer responsible for the end-of-life consequences of their goods. The next action to be undertaken is the establishment of recycling value chains and standards. This is a crucial step in waste reduction, taking a lot of plastic waste off the street, water bodies, and landfills, as well as reducing its negative environmental impact (KAM, 2023).
The government of Kenya is relentless in its fight against plastic waste. Every year, over 400 million metric tons of plastic waste are produced globally; less than 10% gets recycled, and roughly 14 million metric tons of it finds its way into the world’s oceans, posing a serious threat to marine ecosystems. To find a solution, nations convened in Kenya to hammer out a treaty on plastic pollution. The meeting took place at the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in November 2023 (Aljazeera, 2023).
A treaty, however, without deliberate actions would amount to nothing. That is why the government of Kenya is partnering with waste management companies and startups to develop innovative solutions for recycling and upcycling plastic waste. The government is also tackling organic waste plastic pollution by encouraging the use of biodegradable alternatives to ease organic waste management. The organic waste derived is also recycled and used as compost in gardens and farmlands, cutting short the use of unhealthy fertilizers and empowering local farmers. There have also been public awareness campaigns educating citizens about proper waste segregation and management, as well as composting at home to be used for small-scale farming and energy generation.
Kenya’s initiative in tackling organic waste plastic pollution serves as a model for other African countries that face similar challenges. This would encourage them to put in conscious, intentional, and consistent efforts to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution.
The fight still rages to rid the planet of harmful plastic waste, and every nation is a part of it. The oceans connect us all, and the currents push waste across the world without borders. The earlier we come together to solve the problem of plastic pollution and reclaim our planet, the better it would be for life on earth. We start by taking responsibility.
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References
Aljazeera. (2023). Nations Convene in Kenya to Hammer Out Treaty on Plastic Pollution. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2023/11/13/nations-convene-in-kenya-to-hammer-out-treaty-on-plastic-pollution
Caroline Kimeu. (2023). The Guardian. After a plastic bag ban, Kenya takes another shot at its pollution problem. Retrieved from https://amp.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/may/30/kenya-wrestles-with-its-plastic-pollution-problem
KAM. (2023). KAM Launches Kenya Plastic Action Plan. Retrieved from https://kam.co.ke/kam-launches-kenya-plastic-action-plan/
Katharine Lang.(2022). Could microplastics in human blood pose a health risk? Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/could-microplastics-in-human-blood-pose-a-health-risk
UNEP. (2021). Kenya Emerges as Leader in Fight Against Plastic Pollution. Retrieved from https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/kenya-emerges-leader-fight-against-plastic-pollution
