Kenya Plastic Bag Ban And Lessons For Ghana
Kenyans recently joined more than forty other countries including China, France, Rwanda, and Italy to ban, partly ban or tax single use of plastic bags. Hence forth any, Kenyan caught producing, selling or using plastic bags, risk imprisonment of up to four years or could be fined up to forty thousand dollars. Congratulations! to Kenya for this bold decision, giving the challenge for other countries to do same, despite dire consequences in using plastics on human life, a nation's development and the environment as a whole.
Here in Ghana, several attempts have been made to ban the use of plastic bags, yet none seem to have worked. Not even the painful reminder of the June flood and fire Disaster, at the nation's capital, Kwame Nkrumah Circle which claimed the lives of many and displaced several families even pushed decision makers to take the lead in saying ''no more'', to poor sanitation and hygienic practices in the cities. Instead, the indiscriminate littering goes on unabated. Throwing of rubbish including plastic bags all over the city, from moving vehicles, in front of homes, side works, markets and other working areas etc. Many of these result into choked gutters, that contributes to flooding.
Meanwhile, the consequences of diseases such as cholera on the nation’s scare resources and the human resource are not a pleasant one to write home about. Yet, the decision makers sit and do nothing, yet government does not see why it is urgent to ban plastics in Ghana. This is not only shameful, but pathetic! Marine experts say many of the plastics drift into the ocean, strangling turtles, suffocating seabirds and filling the stomachs of dolphins and whales with waste until they die of starvation.
According to one UN Environmentalist, Habib El-Habr, who is working in Kenya, if this practice continues, by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. This is not a distant story in the case of Ghana, we find plastics making it into the food chain of animals and stories have been told of how some animals have choked to death in parts of the north from eating plastics. The economic consequences are dire and cannot be underestimated.
Sadly, plastics are not biodegradable. Even as Ghana considers what I will term a death sentence of the daily pile of plastic bags on Ghanaians, it is never too late for the politicians to re-consider the ban on plastic bag usage in Ghana, besides, many attempts by past governments. In 2015, then Minister of the Environment, Mahama Ayariga made an attempt to ban the use of light plastics, there was hue and cry from manufactures and typical of politicians, that attempt died of natural causes.
For Kenya, it took three attempts over a ten year period to finally pass the ban, and not everyone is in favour of the action. The Kenyan Association of Manufacturers for example, said the ban of plastics will lead to the loss of sixty thousand jobs and force 176 manufacturers to close. Yet, Kenya took the lead to ban the use of plastic bags. Ghana can do same.
Enough of the stakeholder consultations over tea and coffee. President Akufo-Addo, please!!! Ban Plastics bags in Ghana!
By Rebecca Ekpe, A Journalist.
Here in Ghana, several attempts have been made to ban the use of plastic bags, yet none seem to have worked. Not even the painful reminder of the June flood and fire Disaster, at the nation's capital, Kwame Nkrumah Circle which claimed the lives of many and displaced several families even pushed decision makers to take the lead in saying ''no more'', to poor sanitation and hygienic practices in the cities. Instead, the indiscriminate littering goes on unabated. Throwing of rubbish including plastic bags all over the city, from moving vehicles, in front of homes, side works, markets and other working areas etc. Many of these result into choked gutters, that contributes to flooding.
Meanwhile, the consequences of diseases such as cholera on the nation’s scare resources and the human resource are not a pleasant one to write home about. Yet, the decision makers sit and do nothing, yet government does not see why it is urgent to ban plastics in Ghana. This is not only shameful, but pathetic! Marine experts say many of the plastics drift into the ocean, strangling turtles, suffocating seabirds and filling the stomachs of dolphins and whales with waste until they die of starvation.
According to one UN Environmentalist, Habib El-Habr, who is working in Kenya, if this practice continues, by 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. This is not a distant story in the case of Ghana, we find plastics making it into the food chain of animals and stories have been told of how some animals have choked to death in parts of the north from eating plastics. The economic consequences are dire and cannot be underestimated.
Sadly, plastics are not biodegradable. Even as Ghana considers what I will term a death sentence of the daily pile of plastic bags on Ghanaians, it is never too late for the politicians to re-consider the ban on plastic bag usage in Ghana, besides, many attempts by past governments. In 2015, then Minister of the Environment, Mahama Ayariga made an attempt to ban the use of light plastics, there was hue and cry from manufactures and typical of politicians, that attempt died of natural causes.
For Kenya, it took three attempts over a ten year period to finally pass the ban, and not everyone is in favour of the action. The Kenyan Association of Manufacturers for example, said the ban of plastics will lead to the loss of sixty thousand jobs and force 176 manufacturers to close. Yet, Kenya took the lead to ban the use of plastic bags. Ghana can do same.
Enough of the stakeholder consultations over tea and coffee. President Akufo-Addo, please!!! Ban Plastics bags in Ghana!
By Rebecca Ekpe, A Journalist.
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