Stakeholders from the waste management sector today held a consultative meeting to develop content for a plastic treaty, arising from the historic resolution at the UN Environment Assembly to End Plastic Pollution.
The meeting held today in Nairobi is a platform for knowledge sharing between government, non-governmental organizations and private sector with a view to identify and explore the policy options and best practices for life cycle approach to plastic pollution reduction and circular economy.
Speaking during the meeting Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Director of Multilateral Environmental Agreements Mr. Cyrus Mageria said there is a need for collective responsibility from the public and private sectors to come up with a binding treaty that will tackle plastic pollution menace.
Mageria said the meeting is progressing from UNEA 5/14 Resolution, to ‘End Plastic Pollution: Towards a legally binding instrument, which establishes formation of Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop the specific content of the new plastic pollution treaty with the aim of completing its work by the end of 2024.
He said the Ministry is focusing on policy options and best practices for a life cycle approach to plastic pollution reduction and circular economy, and the Waste Management Act and Extended Producer Responsibility will catalyze actions towards waste management and disposal.
The dialogue forum organized by Center for Environment Justice and Development (CEJAD), brought together government and non-governmental organisations to discuss and put to task parties concerned to fast truck plastic reduction and priorities for inter-governmental negotiation committee to develop a plastic treaty.
Director of Environmental Education and Awareness Dr. Ayub Macharia, said the government has put in place measures to shift from end of life approach – linear economy to a life cycle approach when dealing with plastic and waste management.
Mr. Griffins Ochieng the director of CEJAD, that Kenya will be playing an important role in the negotiation of the treaties that will spearhead end of Plastic Pollution including the integrated Coastal zones of Marine Environment in upcoming negotiations meetings.
