Kenyan county to ban plastic bags

Plastics bags will be banned on the Kenyan island of Lamu in April to combat environmental hazards, according to Governor Issa Timamy.

Addressing a conference in Shela on Saturday, Timamy said the plastics were causing significant damage to the local ecosystem and considerable harm to marine life sea animals including turtles.

Governor Timamy said: “We shall come up with laws to ban plastic bags… We are concerned about the plastic waste. Recently donkeys died after consuming plastics.”

Timamy said the new laws would improve the cleanliness and healthiness of the environment for residents and he requested support from conservation groups for inventing new recycling methods for plastic products.

The Lamu Governor cited the ban on plastic bags that has been implemented in Zanzibar where no visitors can enter the island with plastic products.

Timamy said: “Two years ago I visited Zanzibar and could not enter the city with plastic materials.”