COVID-19 Brings out the Need for Proper Waste Management — Lifestyle UG
COVID-19 brings out the urgent need for proper waste management systems, especially single-use plastic.
While some parts of the world are slowly beginning to lift strict lockdown measures after COVID-19 brought life to a grinding halt, Kenya is still facing a growing threat from the rising number of new cases.
The healthcare system is under tremendous pressure, and the economic meltdown is no longer an unfathomable outcome. Yet, the pandemic continues to pose another monstrous challenge, Plastic! Which has turned out to be one of the most used materials in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) used during the coronavirus crisis, including disposable gloves, sanitizers and handwash plastic bottles?
Despite there being brilliant initiatives by businesses to provide PPEs for customers and members of the community, one thing that is lacking is enough sensitization of the public to dispose of the PPEs properly.
Because what impact will we have if we wash our hands and sanitize while our streets, gutters, and cities are full of waste? If our sewers are clogged by irresponsibly disposed of plastics? Shall we not be fighting one viral pandemic while creating another pollution contagion?
Our reliance on plastic has always been on the high, with production expected to double over the next 20 years; most of which will be single-use packaging material.
In Nairobi alone, approximately 3,000 metric tons or 0.64 kg per capita of municipal waste occur daily from residential areas, industry and other private companies as well as public institutions; with plastic fractions accounting for 9% — 15% according to the UN-Habitat.
Given our often lack of conscience when disposing of plastics into the ecosystem, our environment faces greater danger post-COVID-19, than it did before the pandemic.
Only a meagre 9% of plastics ever produced has been recycled
Currently, only about 9% of plastics ever produced has been recycled, while about 12% has been incinerated. Sadly, the rest 79% of plastic waste sits in landfills. When not properly disposed of, plastic often finds its way into the food chains and eventually in human bodies, thus causing not only negative environmental but also health impacts.
It’s therefore manifest just how apt and imperative the ban on single-use plastics in Kenya is.
However, concerns arise on the limitations imposed on waste services by the Coronavirus crisis.
In Kenya, this challenge is exacerbated by lack of an effective waste management infrastructure, which could otherwise bolster the government’s efforts on implementing the ban, effective 5th June 2020 in all protected areas, including National Parks, beaches, forests and conservation areas.
Last year, for instance, to encourage the recycling of the plastic waste in the country, the government put in place tax measures including exemption from VAT on all services offered to plastic recycling plants; as well as the reduction of corporate tax to 15% for investors operating a plastic recycling plant for the first five years.
Unfortunately, following the Covid-19 outbreak, the corporate tax rate for plastic recycling companies went back up by 10%, to reach 25%. 21 days to the start on the single-use plastic ban, optimism was restored, as treasury allocated Sh20 million towards the removal of plastics in the country’s protected areas, in the financial year starting July 1.
Why is the ban on single-use plastics a judicious move?
Read more at: https://lifestyleug.com/covid-19-need-proper-waste-management-systems/
Originally published at https://lifestyleug.com on May 22, 2020.
