Pay the fine or face some time – Hefty penalties for using plastic bags in Kenya

In Kenya, the government introduced a new law that fines people up to $40,000 and possibly four years in prison for making, selling or using single-use plastic bags. Of the more than 40 countries who are trying to drastically reduce the number of single-use plastic bags, Kenya is being the most aggressive with its penalties. One of the reasons they are so adamant about ending plastic bags is the huge impact the bags have on their millions of livestock that roam free and ingest the bags. Another reason is Kenya’s long shoreline and the impact the bags have on their fishing as well as dolphins, whales and other sea animals that suffocate on the bags. Kenya is trying to move consumers and producers from the single use plastic bags to ones that are compostable, biodegradable, bio-based, and reusable.