Kenya’s private sector has lined up behind the Kenya Plastics Pact, an ambitious 2030 blueprint designed to phase out “problematic and unnecessary” plastics as the country pushes toward a circular economy. These problematic plastics are the hard-to-recycle, single-use culprits such as PVC packaging, plastic cutlery, straws and plastic-stemmed cotton buds which clog ecosystems and rarely make it into recycling streams.
A circular economy keeps materials in circulation for as long as possible through reuse, repair, remanufacturing and recycling rather than consigning them to dumpsites. Under the pact, Kenya wants all plastic packaging to be either reusable or recyclable by 2030, with at least 40 percent effectively recycled and an average of 15 percent recycled content in all packaging.
This dovetails with the government’s Extended Producer Responsibility rule under the Sustainable Waste Management Act 2022, which obliges manufacturers to take responsibility for their products from creation to disposal.
Speaking at the 10th Annual Circular Economy Conference and No Waste Festival in Nairobi, KEPSA chief Carole Kariuki noted that circularity has firmly moved from theory to real-world action, from county projects to redesigning entire systems. Designers are repairing goods, youth-led startups are converting waste into industrial inputs, farmers are embracing regenerative agriculture and manufacturers are rethinking packaging to cut environmental harm.
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The Kenya Plastics Pact, WWF-Kenya and other partners also unveiled the “No Single-Use Plastics Elimination Manual”, targeting the hospitality and tourism industry with a recognisable “No Single Use Plastic” badge and encouraging the 5Rs: Refuse, Reduce, Replace, Reuse and Refill. The aim is to stamp out disposable cutlery, straws, polystyrene packaging and similar offenders.
Kenya outlawed single-use plastic bags in 2017, later extending the ban to protected areas, but the bags persist in circulation, especially among small traders.
Environment PS Festus Ng’eno said the government is developing a national Circular Economy Strategy this financial year, which will overhaul value chains, prioritise waste prevention and recycling, and spur resource efficiency. He said the strategy will drive investment, innovation and green jobs, offering fresh opportunities for young people and women.
Kenya hopes to create roughly 240,000 direct green jobs by 2030 as part of its transition to a circular economy.