While countries around the world are trying to get people to use less plastic bags, the African country Kenya has gone way further than any Western country. Kenya has just signed a law where Kenyans caught producing, selling, or even using plastic bags, might be facing a sentence of up to four years in prison or fines of up to $40 000. It's worth mentioning that the average monthly wage in Kenya is roughly $76.
The law is aimed at reducing plastic pollution and according to officials, as a first line of offense, manufacturers and sellers are targeted with the law.
"If we continue like this, by 2050, we will have more plastic in the ocean than fish," said Habib El-Habr from UN environment programme in Kenya. The plastic bags strangle turtles, suffocate birds, end up in stomachs of dolphins and whales.
While plastic bags do cause a lot of pollution and environmental problems, not everyone likes the law. That's also the reason why it took three attempts (over a ten year period) to pass the law.
One of the against argument being - Kenya is a major exporter of plastic bags. And according to a spokesman for the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, the ban will directly cause the closure of 176 companies and leave around 60 000 people out of work.
The law is aimed at reducing plastic pollution and according to officials, as a first line of offense, manufacturers and sellers are targeted with the law.
"If we continue like this, by 2050, we will have more plastic in the ocean than fish," said Habib El-Habr from UN environment programme in Kenya. The plastic bags strangle turtles, suffocate birds, end up in stomachs of dolphins and whales.
While plastic bags do cause a lot of pollution and environmental problems, not everyone likes the law. That's also the reason why it took three attempts (over a ten year period) to pass the law.
One of the against argument being - Kenya is a major exporter of plastic bags. And according to a spokesman for the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, the ban will directly cause the closure of 176 companies and leave around 60 000 people out of work.
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