The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has banned production, importation, distribution and use of non-woven packing bags. The authority said it had arrived at the decision following consistent supply of low quality bags that had since flooded the market.
Majonzi: Kakake Mbunge wa Likoni Mishi Mboko ajitia kitanzi akiwa nchini Cuba Kenyans have complained severally that most bags rip apart once anything is put in them.
In a statement, NEMA directed that ban will take effect from Sunday, March 31, until the day it will direct otherwise.
“However, due to the rising need of non-woven bags in the market, it has been noted over time that manufacturers of theses bags are producing very ‘low gauge’ poor quality non-woven bags which can not be used multiple times but are disposed of after single use. This single-usage of these bags will eventually lead to heavy environmental consequences due to poor disposal practices currently being experienced in the country coupled with the lack of requisite infrastructure to sustainably manage these bags,” the statement read.
According to NEMA, the ban will only be lifted after Kenya Bureau of Standards (KeBs) gazettes a standard that will inform the quality of non-woven bags in the country.
These bags were put into countrywide use in August 2017 after the Ministry of Environment banned the use of plastic packing bags. Complains have, however, been rife regarding the quality of the bags. Kenyans have been lamenting that most off them rip apart once anything is put inside them.