Policy 1: Banning Plastic Bags (Kenya)

 

In the 1970s and 1980s, Nairobi, Kenya was known as “The Green City in the Sun.”  Nairobi was well known for its sprawling skyline, beautiful forested parks, and the stunning landscaped areas of the vast city. But, over the years, Nairobi, Kenya has lost some of its beauty due to the material we often use once and throw away: plastic, in particular plastic bags. In Kenya, over 4,000 tons of plastic bags are produced monthly and 24 million are used per month, most of which end up in the solid waste stream.  Plastic bags are not only an eyesore, but they create a variety of environmental and health problems. To begin, the abundance of plastic waste has caused the blockage of storm drains and gutters which creates problems during periods of storms.

In a study done by N.C. Lange, F. Inganga, W. Busienei, P. Nguru, J. Kiema, and G. Wahungu, they found that about 50% of livestock slaughtered in the Athi-River Matungulu, Machakos County had plastic bags inside of livestock rumen. Animals such as cows and goats who have ingested plastic bags have been reported to produce less milk. Along with a decline in milk production, 40% cows and goats in Sekenani, Maasai Mara, Kenya died premature deaths during a period of drought due to high levels of plastic ingestion.  Because plastic can take decades or even thousands of years to biograde, plastics are often burned to reduce the amount of waste, but can leave behind toxic gases such as furan and dioxin that may leave lead and cadmium residue.  During times of rainfall, the plastic that are not properly disposed have become breeding habitats for mosquitos which has been linked to the spread of malaria.  Once the “Green City in the Sun,” the city of Nairobi, Kenya has been stricken with plastic pollution that has harmed the environment, livestock, and its people. To return the city back to its pristine condition, Kenya has taken drastic policy measures to clean up its environment.

 

Assessment of Effectiveness

In March of 2017, the Kenyan government announced that the plastic bag ban will go into effect after a warning was published in the official gazette in February of 2017. The ban, announced by Judi W. Wakhungu, would ban “the use, manufacture and importation of all plastic bags used for commercial and household packaging as of August 2017.” While Wakhungu did not mention any penalty for being caught using or selling plastic, the Act did lay out penalties. Environmental Management and Co-ordination Act would punish anyone producing or selling plastic bags could face one to four years in jail or a fine that could range from about $19,000-$38,000. This ridgid ban came after several failed plastic bans, such as the one in 2007 that sought to stop the manufacture and importation of bags in 0.03 millimeters in thickness and a 120% tax on plastic bag use.

 

The harsh ban has been met with open arms for some and disdain by others. Before the ban, millions of bags were seen throughout the country as 24 million bags were used per month. Before the ban, were seen throughout the country. After the ban, many noticed that part of the country looked cleaner. Those in the National Environment Management Authority, such as David Ong’are, have noted that there have been less plastic bags flying around, less bags obstructing the waterways, and fisherman are finding less plastic in their nets while fishing in Lake Victoria. The ban’s effect was quickly seen by the shanty towns of Nairobi, Kenya. Shanty town have seen a reduction in flying toilets and more people using communal toilets, which has greatly lead to cleaner towns.  Besides the pollution reduction of plastic and cleaner towns, the ban has greatly impacted venders and plastic manufacturers.  As the authorities have been cracking down on venders and stallholders, they have been forced to use biodegradable bags for their products. Stallholders in Kenya have complained that the switch to biodegradable bags costs six times more than plastic and cuts into profits.  Plastic manufacturers such as Hi-Plast have filed a lawsuit against the government for selectively implementing the ban. Not only have plastic manufacturers been hurt by the ban, companies such as Tesco, Walmart, and producers of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals have had trouble exporting to Kenya because most packaging is banned under the ban.

 

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Likelihood of working in the United States

Cities across America have started banning plastic bags from grocery stores and other retailers to try and reduce consumption of plastic film from ending up in landfills and waterways. A national change would have millions of Americans change from using single use plastic bags to reusable, long lasting bags. In order for this policy to be effective in the U.S. it would need to be actively enforced by the government and law enforcement officials. In Kenya police work with the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) to enforce this ban, which keeps the policy in the public radar and ensures its effectiveness.

A policy like this in the U.S. would require people to purchase reusable, biodegradable bags to bring to stores with them, causing lifestyle changes to happen.

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Negative effects for plastic-producing companies (profit and employment) would cause companies to reduce production and or have to make alternative products. Prior to the ban, Kenya had over 170 plastic-producing companies. When the ban went into effect, many companies did not receive any government compensation and nearly 60,000 people lost their jobs at these companies. Retailers who use plastic or plastic bags to sell goods would have to find biodegradable alternatives to plastics. Products that the US imports that contain plastics would not be able to enter if the US were to adopt a similar plastic policy as Kenya.

 

Policy 2: Tax on Plastic Bags (China)

 

Despite being one of the economic powerhouses of the world, China struggled with the phenomenon called “white pollution”. For China it was normal to use an estimated 3 billion plastic bags daily causing an immense amount of plastic to float around houses, streets, and parks; this becoming white pollution. Though this is a problem because it takes the average plastic bag about 200 years to decompose and while it does it contaminates the soil and water it comes in contact with. Not only does it contaminate but when plastic makes its way to the lakes and oceans where fish are caught and killed by the bags. This can harm fishing, diets, and agriculture.

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Clearly the problem was becoming out of control so in 2008 China passed legislation banning “shops, supermarkets, and sales outlets from providing free plastic bags that are less than 25 μm thick (0.025mm). For bags over 25 μm, a levy was put in place” (Block, 2013). There would be a fee placed on markets and store owners for not abiding by the new legislation that would be “as much as 10,000 yuan (US$1,465) if they were caught distributing free bags” (Block, 2013). When handling fresh foods though there were exemptions made on the levy and ban. However, did the people of China follow this new legislation to defeat white pollution, or do old habits die hard.  

 

Assessment of Effectiveness

 

One Year After Implementation:

One year after the legislation was passed there was a conference and “in attendance were Li Jing, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission’s resource conservation and environmental protection department; Li Jiajian, head of the ministry of commerce’s standardisation office; Dong Jinshi, deputy director and secretary-general of the International Food Packaging Association; and various NGO and consumer representatives”. They talk about what the ban is, implementation problems, and new ideas about recycling plastic bags.

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To begin they discuss the findings by the National Development and Reform Commission  (NDRC) and about the survey sent out to businesses in 2009. The statistics showed that “106 outlets of Wal-Mart China had reduced plastic bag usage by 80 percent in the past year” (Xinhua). This means that 40 billion less bags were used, saving 1.6 million tons of petroleum. Dong Jinshi explains that in Beijing alone they produce “over 20,000 tonnes of garbage a day with 10% -- about 2,000 tonnes of that – being plastic bags”. He continues on to say that in his research they have found a 10% decrease in garbage in Beijing resulting in 200 tonnes less plastic being used. With this drastic decrease in bags businesses in the first year also felt the effect of the legislation.

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The largest plastics manufacturing company in China is Huaqiang. The factories “were able to produce 250,000 tons of plastic bags valued at 2.2 billion yuan annually” (Xinhua) though with 90 percent of their products on the list that was limited by the new policy they had no other option than to shut down within the first year. However, when it comes to the day to day effectiveness there have been problems.

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Not only do markets carrying fresh foods have an exemption due to health risks but food delivery services also have an exemption. Li Jiajian comments on this when the host had asked about why delivery services were not included and he explains “the level of bag use in the catering industry is very low. Secondly, making it easier for consumers to take leftovers home is actually saving waste – so restaurants weren’t included in the restrictions, nor were hospitals.” Jiajian did remark that while visiting towns and villages he did notice hospitals would charge for plastic bags when people would use them to bring medicine home and does have hopes that catering industries and restaurants will follow suit.

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They also found throughout the year that only 15% of markets were actually charging for plastic bags despite having the threat of the fine. Both Li and Dong admitted that the oversight and management of making sure the bags are charged has been harder than anticipated. Along with the charge the plastic bags are suppose to be clearly marked with the legislation on them and they are not. Despite the problems local markets are having there have been other ideas that have made their way to the table to reduce the white pollution.

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Dong has said that recycling the plastic bags and turning them into “bricks” has also been proposed. They have done trial tests and have said by combining the plastic bag with coal ash and clay they become strong enough for a car to drive over them. Dong and Li say this would be a great solution as well because it “turns plastic bags into a resource, a product, rather than burying or burning them”. Li Jing does say that as of now the NDRC was working on a way to pass legislation to recycle the plastic bags as a way to reduce white pollution. Overall, the effectiveness seems to have been good but there are still problems that needed to be addressed.

 

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Five Years after Implementation

In 2013, five years after the implementation of the legislation China continued to grow their numbers of plastic bag reduction. After the first year 40 billion less bags were used, saving 1.6 million tons of petroleum. After five years according to the NDRC consumption of plastic bags were cut by “67 billion bags, saving an equivalent of 6 million tonnes of oil” (Upton). Li Jing stated that “since the ban was implemented, use of plastic bags has dropped by more than two-thirds”(Upton). Despite Chinda making monumental strides to decreasing their white pollution there are still several problems that were talked about after the first year that still have not been addressed.

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Though there has not been any more mention of companies going out of business markets are still not being effectively regulated. Zhou Shumin, a manager of Beijing Huanludi Plastic Products did admit that until 2012 her company continued to make thin plastic bags for stores such as Walmart. Her company was reported though and did end up paying 30,000 yuan ($4,800) for violating the regulation. Though there are still many companies that have not been fined. Dong Jinshi has again called “on authorities to strengthen supervision on the manufacturing and sale of plastic bags to prevent them from entering the market” (YuXia).

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Likelihood of working in the United States

Having a tax on plastic bags in America would allow for individuals to still use plastic bags if they choose but would reward them for using a reusable bag or other option in store. A saving to both the consumer as well as the store in which they are purchasing goods. The consumer will save money by not having to pay tax on purchasing goods when bringing their own bags instead of using disposable bags. Stores will also see a savings by not having to purchase large amounts of plastic bags to keep in store. There have already been cities in the United States that have attempted to make this type of legislation work. San Francisco in 2007 passed similar legislation on a ban for thin bags. However, there has been no movement on the federal level (Upton).

 

Policy 3: Phase out of Single-Use Plastics and Styrofoam (Belize)

 

The small central American country of Belize has taken big strides on their efforts to reduce use of single-use plastic. The Government of Belize (GOB) made a promise to reduce both single-use plastics and styrofoam containers after seeing increases in pollution throughout the region. This policy focuses in on single-use plastic bags, plastic utensils, and styrofoam containers specifically, after discovering that these single use items make up about one fifth of the solid waste volume in the municipal waste stream. In this case, single-use plastics are considered any plastic that are used only once before they are thrown away or recycled.

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The ban gained traction in the Cabinet in March of 2018. Numerous government agencies backed the proposed ban, explaining that these single-use products were threatening the local environment. The country of Belize borders the Caribbean Sea and the region is known for having one of the most abundant barrier reefs in the world. Pollution from single-use plastics poses great threats to the delicate these ecosystems. If these ecosystems were threatened, it would also have great effects on the Belizean tourist economy, as people throughout the world travel to the region to experience the pristine natural environment that the country has to offer. In addition, cleaning up the pollution that these products cause would place a huge financial burden on the country.

 

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Assessment of Effectiveness

The proposed ban was then approved and went into effect on Earth Day, April 22nd, in 2019. Belize is now one of 30 countries in the world to place a country-wide ban on single use plastics. People all across the country are supportive of this ban because they have already seen the devastating effects that this pollution has had on their local environment. Businesses have already began to offer alternatives like biodegradable and compostable materials as well as glass and bamboo straws. Because this policy is so new, there is little information on the effectiveness of the policy so far, but with the obvious widespread support throughout Belize, there is hope that these bans will have a positive impact on the country as a whole.
 

Likelihood of working in the United States

This policy has the potential to be successful in the U.S. because it is presented as a gradual process rather than a strict ban like Kenya implemented. The Department of the Environment provided a list of plastic products that the government of Belize planned to phase out by April 2019. This outlines specific goals set by the government and allows citizens to be informed of how their government plans to help the environment. The U.S. government would benefit from this approach because it could then focus its efforts on and provide financial support for the elimination of a few specific plastic products in a year. Rather than banning everything at once, phasing-out plastic products like this may help to avoid drastic negative economic effects.

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The United States has the capacity to replace single use products with environmentally friendly alternatives, like biodegradable and compostable products. The Belizean government held an educational campaign to help stray people away from using single-use plastic. As a large developed country, the United States would have more power to hold a successful educational campaign similar to the one seen in Belize. If people are more knowledgeable about why these bans on single use plastic are taking place, they would likely be more supportive of these kinds of policy.