Diary of a Poultry farmer: I’ll shed no tear for plastic bags even as my costs soar

The writer, Dr Subiri Obwogo of Kienyeji Kenya Limited feeds his 9-week old chicken at a farm in Njiru. He feels the ban on use of plastic bags will spur innovation in other innovative ways of packing and carrying goods including chicken feed. PHOTO | FRANCIS NDERITU | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The ban is against the use of plastic bags without handles but which may or may not have gussets.
  • The ban doesn’t affect flat plastic bags used in industrial packaging.
  • A 2010 study published in the journal Science showed that every year, about eight million metric tonnes of plastic trash ends up in the ocean.
  • For alternatives, the experts I’ve spoken to told me that the only viable ones for wrapping meat include bags made from manila, canvas, jute and biodegradable plastics.

“Hold on,” I said, obviously exasperated at the attendant at the milk machine at the supermarket in Westlands. “I need to see the manager,” I added.

It was after much insistence that I was ushered into an open plan office past the cashiers’ desk.

The manager wearing an orange t-shirt with the company’s logo then asked me how he can help.

“I need my plastic bag back,” I told him.

“Okay, but you can have a new one for free,” he said politely.

Of course I wasn’t going to exchange my recycled bag with a new one, but as you would guess, the company’s policy was against recycling, worse if the bag bore the logo of a competitor. In short, I got back my precious plastic bag.

That was over a year ago. The other day I went back to the same supermarket in my Westlands neighbourhood and guess what, they were in panic to get rid of their nasty plastic bags as the ban beckoned

In case you are wondering where I am heading to, let me spell it out. I am not shedding a tear for plastic bags after the ban came into force this week.

Before I get into how this ban might affect my poultry venture, here’s some background. For as long as I can remember, my wife and I had a policy of recycling our plastic bags long before the good Environment ministry decided to effect the ban.

The ban is against the use of plastic bags without handles but which may or may not have gussets.

Plastic carrier bags with or without gussets also remain banned. The ban doesn’t affect flat plastic bags used in industrial packaging.

Apart from the obvious eyesore, one thing I couldn’t understand was how anyone could walk into a supermarket every week and walk out with dozens of plastic bags which would be rendered useless within 10 minutes.

A 2010 study published in the journal Science showed that every year, about eight million metric tonnes of plastic trash ends up in the ocean.

POOR DISPOSAL

In Kenya, we used to generate 24 million plastic bags monthly, with half ending up in the environment due to poor disposal.

Fine, what we decided with my wife long time ago was simply to recycle. We’d also bought baskets made from reeds for carrying the bulky shopping goods.

Another thing I’ve always done is to insist that my shopping is packed in a carton. For meats, I’d recycle bread wrapping papers.

However, as a poultry farmer, I can’t claim to have a simple and cheaper solution for wrapping items like chicken meat that tend to drip now that the ban is on.

I had always given my customers the option of wrapping their chicken meat in recycled plastic bags. For those who were uncomfortable, I had no choice but to use new plastic bags which I can’t use for now.

For alternatives, the experts I’ve spoken to told me that the only viable ones for wrapping meat include bags made from manila, canvas, jute and biodegradable plastics. Used newspapers are considered unhygienic.

Of course use of aluminium foils or the glossy khaki papers to pack meat comes with additional costs.

My calculations show that use of alternative packaging materials would increase the price per unit sale to Sh8 and moreover, some of them are still prone to dripping.

I know vendors who benefitted from directly selling plastic bags must be counting losses but this is a price we need to pay.

Besides, there are several alternatives that would still offer jobs, which must however be looked into in the long-term.

One thing I know, however, is that the ban on use of plastic bags will spur innovation in other innovative ways of packing and carrying goods.

If man has gone to the moon and come back, surely we can find a simple and cheap solution for packing and carrying goods that is environmentally friendly.