The Kenya Plastics Pact has published a roadmap to ensure all plastic packaging in the country is recyclable or reusable by 2030. More than 30 business members and supporters of the Kenya Plastics Pact, with representatives from every stage of the plastics packaging supply chain, have signed and endorsed the Roadmap.  

They include plastic packaging manufacturers, prominent FMCG brands, committed small and medium businesses, informal waste pickers’ associations and recyclers, influential industry associations, environmental NGOs, advocacy groups/civil society, and the national government, as well as the national government through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.  

“The Kenya Plastics Pact Roadmap reflects a powerful voice for tangible change by 2030 and will guide and mobilise the industry to tackle plastic pollution by taking collective action. The Roadmap activities are elaborate and based on Kenya’s context and the current situation in the country in terms of waste management, plastic pollution, the economy, the policy landscape, and available infrastructure,” said Karin Boomsma, the Pact’s Secretariat Lead. 

With an estimated 22,000 tonnes of waste generated in Kenya per day, about 20 per cent of it is plastic. Furthermore, Kenya’s daily plastic consumption is estimated to be 0.03 kg per person. Available data shows that the full amount of plastic that becomes waste in Kenya is approximately 0.5 to 1.3 million tonnes per year. Out of this, only 8 per cent is recycled, with the remainder being landfilled or incinerated – or in the worst-case scenario, ending up in the environment. This is why plastic waste and pollution have particularly captured the attention of businesses, governments, and citizens in Kenya.

According to KEPSA CEO Ms Carole Kariuki, a radical transformation in how we use natural resources is central to meeting the needs of future generations. “There is no question about it, the world needs a new economy; a circular economy, which keeps plastics in use and out of the environment. It is now more relevant than ever to bring the whole value chain together, and build collective solutions adapted to our reality.”

She added, “It requires an ‘all-in’ approach from industry, citizens, and the government to ensure policy priorities are budgeted and appropriated for the economy to fully go circular. Companies need to strategically integrate circularity in their value chains, to increase sustainable economic development and resilience.”

The Roadmap establishes four strategic targets for 2030:

1. Eliminate unnecessary or problematic single-use plastic packaging items through redesign, innovation, and reuse delivery models.
2. 100 per cent of plastic packaging is reusable or recyclable.
3. 40 per cent of plastic packaging is effectively recycled.
4. 15 per cent average recycled content across all plastic packaging.

Each target then focuses on key outcomes laid out in the Roadmap, including defining a list of problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging and items and taking measures to address them. Improved adoption of recyclable packaging, improved informal recycling sector value chain, and improved policy engagement and policy environment for enhanced recycled content of plastic packaging are among the outcomes identified in the Roadmap. Progress will be tracked and reported annually to ensure accountability.

“This is a shared action plan that shows a cross-sectoral plan of outcomes and activities which when achieved, will stimulate industry-led innovation, dialogue, and collaboration to create new business models with product redesign in mind, generate job opportunities in the plastics collection and recycling sector, and position businesses competitively with improved economic, environmental, and societal outcomes overall,” said Dr Ayub Macharia, Director of Environmental Education and Awareness in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry.

The Roadmap goes a long way in supporting the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations, which aim to enhance resource use efficiency, stimulate innovation, spur recycling, and reduce the amount of waste destined for final disposal; as provided for by the Sustainable Waste Management Act. But while it is a necessary regulatory framework to move toward a circular economy, mandatory EPR alone does not provide the collaborative platform for unlocking innovation and systemic solutions for a Circular Economy.

An enabling ecosystem, implementable guidelines, shared knowledge on material choices and improved reuse and recycling infrastructure and capacity are among the activities to drive the success of the EPR that will lead to achieving targets 2, 3 and 4.