A ban on plastic bags came into force Monday in Kenya and those found in violation of the ban could be given a maximum fine of 40 , 000 dollars or risk imprisonment of up to four years.
The East African nation joins more than 40 other countries that have banned , partly banned or taxed single use plastic bags , including China, France , Rwanda, and Italy.
Many bags drift into the ocean , strangling turtles , suffocating seabirds and filling the stomachs of dolphins and whales with waste until they die of starvation.
“ If we continue like this , by 2050 , we will have more plastic in the ocean than fish, ” said Habib El-Habr, an expert on marine litter working with the UN Environment Programme in Kenya .
Plastic bags , which El-Habr says take between 500 to 1, 000 years to break down, also enter the human food chain through fish and other animals .
In Nairobi ’ s slaughterhouses , some cows destined for human consumption had 20 bags removed from their stomachs.
“ This is something we didn’ t get ten years ago but now its almost on a daily basis, ” said county vet Mbuthi Kinyanjui as he watched men in bloodied white uniforms scoop sodden plastic bags from the stomachs of cow carcasses.
Kenya’ s law allows police to go after anyone even carrying a plastic bag .
Judy Wakhungu, Kenya ’ s environment minister, said enforcement would initially be directed at manufacturers and suppliers.
“ Ordinary wananchi will not be harmed , ” she told Reuters , using a Kiswahili word for “ common man” .
It took Kenya three attempts over ten years to finally pass the ban , and not everyone is a fan .
Samuel Matonda , spokesman for the Kenya Association of Manufacturers , said it would cost 60 , 000 jobs and force 176 manufacturers to close.
Kenya is a major exporter of plastic bags to the region.
“ The knock-on effects will be very severe , ” Matonda said.
“ It will even affect the women who sell vegetables in the market , how will their customers carry their shopping home?”
Big Kenyan supermarket chains like France’ s Carrefour and Nakumatt have already started offering customers cloth bags as alternatives .
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