New Study Focuses on Pollution Caused by Plastic Bottles in Kenya

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The results of latest plastic brand audit conducted within Lake Nakuru National Park’s catchment area in connection with the World Cleanup Day on September 18^th, 2021 have been published.

The study conducted by the Nakuru Waste Pickers Association, in partnership with Ecorethink and the Centre for Environmental Justice and Development (CEJAD) noted that most of the plastic bottle waste end up polluting Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya. It was based on digital data analysis carried out on discarded single-use plastic bottles collected from the region.

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Accordingly, nearly 38% of the collected bottles originated from manufacturers outside the country, mainly in the U.S., India, UK, Belgium and Japan. Also, over 50% of them were from manufacturers within Kenya and neighbouring Tanzania.

The main contributor of plastic bottle waste was beverage bottles, mainly those of carbonated soft drinks, followed by drinking water. Also, alcoholic beverages and household, personal care and cosmetics bottles too contributed a notable proportion.

The brands owned by the Coca-Cola company accounted for 44% of the total soft drinks bottles whereas the local drinks brand Azam too contributed significantly.

Environmental activists in the country urged the government to keep strict watch on companies that use plastic bottles and take strict action on those companies that act irresponsibly.