Plastic Free Day: How can Kenyan businesses take responsibility for plastic waste? – Saudi Gazette

Plastic Free Day: How can Kenyan businesses take responsibility for plastic waste? – Saudi Gazette

By Karin Boomsma

NAIROBI “”

For decades now, the world has almost entirely depended on a linear economy that focuses on taking, making, using and disposing of finite resources. This cradle to grave model is fixed on an industrial mindset where producers assume the resources they use are unlimited and therefore are never restored.

In this case, short-term profits are placed at the top of the pyramid, at the expense of people and planet. Ultimately, contaminated air and water become just some of the inevitable outcomes of the lopsided pressure applied on the ecosystem.

One of the gravest impacts of the linear economy has been irresponsible disposal of plastics, especially single-use, on the environment. Unsightly landfills and litter in parks and even beaches continuously choke our environment.

A trend report by Sustainable Inclusive Business Kenya, indicates that 79% of plastic waste ever produced now sits on landfills, dumps or the environment, while 12% has been incinerated and only 9% has been recycled globally.

In Kenya, plastic recycling stands at a meager 10%. If this trend continues, the report warns, our oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050. By jeopardizing the environment's ability to effectively provide its indispensable provisions, we reap the unfortunate consequences