In August, the Greenpeace investigative journalism unit-Unearthed discovered that the American Chemistry Council (ACC) lobbied the US State Representative to demand an immediate suspension of its single-use plastic bans. Kenya’s ban on the use, manufacture and importation of single-use plastic carrier bags came into effect in 2017; it has since banned all single-use plastic from its national parks. The ACC wanted to reverse Kenya’s progress and make it a gateway to Africa for plastic trade – then sell us recycling as a “false solution” to the environmental catastrophe it would later cause. Contraband plastic is already flooding the nation and “plastic islands” have tainted the landscape of Lamu, its beloved World Heritage site. Mr Angelo is Greenpeace Africa Plastic Project Lead.

Source: Standard Digital March 08, 2021 18:14 UTC