KISII, Kenya, Apr 29 – The Single-Use Plastic(SUP) Bill which has made its way in the corridors of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) could bring a wave of change in the East Africa member states since the bill seeks to ban the production, sale and importation of harmful plastic.
The bill has already undergone its first reading in the EALA assembly, if passed into law, it could harmonize environmental laws and stop cross-border plastic leakage in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi ,Rwanda, South Sudan, Somalia and DRC.
The regional bill and the plastic legislative framework represents collective regional effort to promote sustainability among the East Africa Community and curb plastic pollution plastic pollution.
What the SUP bill means
Head of business development and plastic project, SUP bill and the plastic legislative framework in Eat Africa Carliotta dal Lago while making a presentation during a workshop for African Journalists from the Indian Ocean coast on the blue and circular economy, said the laws enacted by different EAC states have signified tailored approaches which address unique environmental, economic, and social needs of EAC states.
Regional environmental impact transcends national boundaries Need for a unified approach to tackle shared challenges and Simplify compliance for businesses operating across multiple countries and enable regional cooperation in waste management.
The Draft Zero of the Global Plastics Treaty is anticipated to be implemented in 2025 following the completion of the INC negotiations.
“We anticipate that the Draft SUP Bill will be implemented well before the Draft Zero of the Global Plastics Treaty following the completion of the INC negotiations,” said Caliotta.
The features in this draft includes; Prohibition of the manufacture, import, sale, use, piling and disposal. Clearly visible and legible marking on the packaging Recycling, segregation and collection mechanism Permitted uses for single use plastics Sustainable reduction of consumption Emphasis on awareness and education Incentives.
Many EAC member states already introduced their own bans at national levels before the regional bill. Kenya banned use of plastic bags in 2017 and single –use plastic in protected areas in 2020 while Tanzania enacted a plastic bag ban in 2019.Rwanda banned plastic bags back in 2008 and Uganda attempted a ban since 2009 with weak enforcement.
Global negotiations on plastic pollution
United Nations Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution Programme (SMEP)lead Henrique Pacini said the top-down approach on global negotiations countries come together to create an international legally binding agreement on plastic pollution.
“The lifecycle approach Covers the full lifecycle of plastics, from production to disposal and recycling with a key focus in plastic production limits, waste management, micro-plastics alternative and non-plastic substitute materials stakeholder engagement and implementation and compliance ,” said Henrique
The regional processes such as the EALA Single-Use Plastics Bill aims to ban and regulate plastic products across East Africa Community(EAC) member states. The European Union(EU) Single-Use Plastics Directive restricts certain plastic products and promotes extended producer responsibility.
The Pacific Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter focuses on reducing plastic pollution, especially in the ocean and the ASEAN Regional Action Plan for Combating Marine Debris (2021–2025) supports waste management and circular economy initiatives to help countries protect shared environments.
