Plastic Pollution - Case of the Mombasa Seafront
Kenya has an estimated coastline of about 1420 km and with such a huge coastline, a number of challenges do present themselves as well, when it comes to matters of environmental conservation. Among these challenges is the menace of solid waste management which leads to an eyesore and has an effect in our oceans especially from plastic pollution.
On the 28th of August 2017, the ban on plastic carrier bags came into effect. This move was hailed from far and wide across the world as a positive one due to the obnoxious nature of the single use plastic bags to the environment. Kenya has now become a case study in matter relating to plastic bags ban.
However, there has been lapses in effecting this ban as some unscrupulous businessmen have been smuggling into the country these bags aided by corrupt border point officials. Much of the plastic bags currently being illegally used are coming in from neighbouring countries especially Uganda. We are also witnessing a situation where the use of plastics is going on blantantly and in full glare of the public due to weak enforcement of the existing laws relating to the ban.
Communities living or spending time along the waterfront are among the consumers of this banned product and in most cases are not sensitized on the negative effects of plastics especially when dumped carelessly. These eventually end up in the oceans creating problems to the marine ecosystems. I recently took a walk in some of the famous recreational areas of Mombasa city to see for myself the extent of the problem of plastic pollution on the seafront. I did visit two areas namely; Jomo Kenyatta Public Beach and Mama Ngina Drive.
Dumping along Mama Ngina Drive, Mombasa
The experience was preety much the same in both locations. The number of visitors in these areas is quite large and this usually draws in traders who want to cash in on this opportunity by selling products such as bottled water, soda, candy, crisps and various other snacks that in most cases contribute to generation of plastic wastes.
Consumers of the products are either not sensitized on the need for proper disposal or there is lack of garbage disposal bins. This is evident from the amount of garbage that is usually strewn all over these places which unfortunately end up being washed or blown into the ocean.
Statistics have shown that if plastic pollution is not stopped in our oceans then we are likely to have a scenario where we have more plastic waste than fish by the year 2050. This is quite alarming and we all have a responsibility to tackle this situation for the sake of present and future generations. It is important to promote clean seas initiatives, an agenda being pushed by the UN, that will help protect our oceans and marine organisms.
It about time we switch to more environmentally friendly packaging for such snacks and also encouraging use of reusable items like carrying own water in a reusable bottles. In addition to this, the local authorities need to provide garbage disposal solutions and have the same collected regularly to maintain cleanliness. This will help immensely to keep trash out of the waters of the oceans.
In conclusion, we all can play our part in saving the environment especially on such areas that are used for recreation. We really dont need any law enforcers around for us to do the right thing. So lets all do our bit and all this combined will go a long way in keeping the environment clean and eventually reduce plastic pollution in the ocean.
On the 28th of August 2017, the ban on plastic carrier bags came into effect. This move was hailed from far and wide across the world as a positive one due to the obnoxious nature of the single use plastic bags to the environment. Kenya has now become a case study in matter relating to plastic bags ban.
However, there has been lapses in effecting this ban as some unscrupulous businessmen have been smuggling into the country these bags aided by corrupt border point officials. Much of the plastic bags currently being illegally used are coming in from neighbouring countries especially Uganda. We are also witnessing a situation where the use of plastics is going on blantantly and in full glare of the public due to weak enforcement of the existing laws relating to the ban.
Communities living or spending time along the waterfront are among the consumers of this banned product and in most cases are not sensitized on the negative effects of plastics especially when dumped carelessly. These eventually end up in the oceans creating problems to the marine ecosystems. I recently took a walk in some of the famous recreational areas of Mombasa city to see for myself the extent of the problem of plastic pollution on the seafront. I did visit two areas namely; Jomo Kenyatta Public Beach and Mama Ngina Drive.
The experience was preety much the same in both locations. The number of visitors in these areas is quite large and this usually draws in traders who want to cash in on this opportunity by selling products such as bottled water, soda, candy, crisps and various other snacks that in most cases contribute to generation of plastic wastes.
Consumers of the products are either not sensitized on the need for proper disposal or there is lack of garbage disposal bins. This is evident from the amount of garbage that is usually strewn all over these places which unfortunately end up being washed or blown into the ocean.
Statistics have shown that if plastic pollution is not stopped in our oceans then we are likely to have a scenario where we have more plastic waste than fish by the year 2050. This is quite alarming and we all have a responsibility to tackle this situation for the sake of present and future generations. It is important to promote clean seas initiatives, an agenda being pushed by the UN, that will help protect our oceans and marine organisms.
It about time we switch to more environmentally friendly packaging for such snacks and also encouraging use of reusable items like carrying own water in a reusable bottles. In addition to this, the local authorities need to provide garbage disposal solutions and have the same collected regularly to maintain cleanliness. This will help immensely to keep trash out of the waters of the oceans.
In conclusion, we all can play our part in saving the environment especially on such areas that are used for recreation. We really dont need any law enforcers around for us to do the right thing. So lets all do our bit and all this combined will go a long way in keeping the environment clean and eventually reduce plastic pollution in the ocean.
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