Using an innocuous plastic bag in Kenya may well be something you come to regret . The East African land has now impose what is believed to be the world ’s toughest law for those caught produce , marketing , or even using individual - use credit card bag , the result of which involves being sent to poky for four year or receivinga amercement of up to $ 40,000 .
The nation now join more than 40 others worldwide that have initiate similar police force prohibiting the use of charge plate bag either partly or entirely , or introducing a taxation on them , including China , the United Kingdom , and Rwanda . The ubiquitousness of the object , which cause a whole way of issues as they are thrown into land fill , the streets , and more frequently than not the ocean , has meant that many Carry Nation are re - thinking their attitude towards the handbag .
Clearly , the master issue of plastic bags is their single - usage purpose . Taking muscularity and crude to produce , they are only used once before often being thrown away , after which they may take between 500 and 1,000 years to degrade . In the oceans , they break down into micro plastic , which are thenthought to be consumed by birds , turtles , and fish . If humans wipe out these fish , then we too can end up consume the plastic .
The issue of ocean credit card is so nifty that one report has estimated that by 2050,plastics in the sea will overbalance all the Pisces .
But it is n’t only in these marine environment that there is a problem . Cattle in Kenya often roam the streets and countryside eating whatever they come across , include trash . In Nairobi , some Bos taurus that have been sent to the shambles have been pop only for the workers tofind up to 20 fictile bagsstuck in their stomachs , which then have to be scooped from the carcase . While this may have been a rare occurrent 10 eld ago , now it is a daily thing .
The law in Kenya has been observe for how harsh it now is , despite Kenya ’s eco - touristry unequalled selling point . It has taken 10 years and three attempt to get the law fleet by government , and while technically , the police can now commit anyone receive using a plastic bag , in realism , officials are more likely to focus chiefly on maker and provider , to take on the problem at the root .
