Kenya is expected to lift ban on plastic papers soon in favour of US manufacturers who are looking to tap into the Kenyan market.
The New York Times reports that an industry group representing the world’s largest chemical makers and fossil fuel companies is lobbying to influence United States trade negotiations with Kenya to reverse its strict limits on plastics.
“We anticipate that Kenya could serve in the future as a hub for supplying U.S.-made chemicals and plastics to other markets in Africa through this trade agreement,” Ed Brzytwa, the director of international trade for the American Chemistry Council, wrote in an April 28 letter to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
According to the publication, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta is on the verge of striking the deal that will see the plastic ban implemented in 2017 lifted.
Read: ‘Jails Will Soon Be Full With Poor People Caught Using Plastic Bags,’ Boniface Mwangi
Further, the deal will see Kenya open up to importation foreign plastic garbage for recycling, a practice that is limited currently.
“In 2019, American exporters shipped more than 1 billion pounds of plastic waste to 96 countries including Kenya, ostensibly to be recycled,” reports the paper.
“China closed its ports to most plastic trash in 2018, exporters have been looking for new dumping grounds. Exports to Africa more than quadrupled in 2019 from a year earlier,” adds Newy York Times.
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