The Kenyan government has enforced a major ban on the use, manufacture and importation of all plastic bags for commercial and household packaging.
The ban, which was announced 28 Feb, will apply to two categories of bags: the carrier bag, a “bag constructed with handles, and with or without gussets,” and the flat bag, a “bag constructed without handles, and with or without gussets.”
Infringement of the ban, according to the Kenyan government's notice in February, can carry imprisonment of up to four years or a fine between €16,000 and €32,000.
The country's environment ministry says that roughly 100 million plastic bags are handed out annually in Kenya by supermarkets alone.
The purpose of the Government to ban the use of plastic bags is to avoid health and environmental effects resulting from the use of plastic bags, including impacts on soil quality, literring and damage to ecosystems.
In its February notice, the environment ministry encouraged manufactures of all plastic bags to invest in the production of alternative bags.