Kinshasa’s governor, Mr. Gentiny Ngobila, announced new measures last Friday to prosecute all sale or production of single-use plastic water sachets in the capital city.
Greenpeace Africa commends the adoption of strict measures to enforce a ban on single-use plastic on 21 January 2021.
Patient Muamba, Greenpeace Africa campaigner in the Democratic Republic of Congo: “Single-use plastic is rapidly burying the streets of Kinshasa and poisoning its communities. Plastic waste is not just an aesthetic hazard: it makes floods worse and enters our food system.”
Plastic bans have already been announced in at least 34 African countries. The successful case of a plastic ban in Kenya shows that only when governments take strict action against large-scale producers and distributors of plastic, pollution levels go down drastically.
“Producers must be held accountable and Governor Gentiny Ngobila must ensure enforcement should target large-scale producers, rather than struggling street vendors,” Muamba added.
Greenpeace Africa urges the government to enforce its plastic restrictions across all of DRC to ensure that its impact on the plastic crisis is widespread.
ENDS
Note to editors:
Photos of plastic waste in Kinshasa available for download and use (with credit):
https://media.greenpeace.org/Share/16s8vusswhbcpksht306wr143s8be867
Contact for questions and interviews:
Newsdesk Greenpeace Africa [email protected]
Tal Harris, International Communication Coordinator, [email protected], +221-785366270 (WhatsApp/Signal/Telegram)