There are a number of things that governments can do to stem the toxic tide — from running public awareness campaigns, to offering incentives for recycling, and introducing levies or even banning certain plastic products outright.
Dozens of national and local governments around the world have already adopted policies to reduce the use of disposable plastic. And the number continues to grow. Here are some tide-turning national governments and city authorities: (from Single-Use Plastics: A Roadmap for Sustainability and news outlets)
-
Kenya
Before 2017, about 100 million plastic bags were used in Kenyan supermarkets every year but now the country has the world’s toughest plastic bag ban. In August 2017, a ban on the production, sale, importation and use of plastic carrier bags came into effect, threatening offenders with fines of up to US$38,000 or up to four years in jail. Today, large supermarket chains sell reusable cloth bags and the government encourages all retailers to offer alternatives to plastic bags.