Members of the public using latest cotton carrier bags. [Photo/businessdailyafrica.co.ke]
Consumer Federation of Kenya (COFEK) now wants retail stores to give its customers quality, healthy carrier bags for free instead of having them buy at a different price.
In an interview with The Business Daily, COFEK Secretary General Stephen Mutoro said that consumers are getting their items packed in unhealthy cartons for free or forced to incur extra costs while acquiring the consumers’ necessity.
“With many having exhausted their budgets, they either have to be packed in unhealthy cartons or one pays for a carrier bag, which will see food items, detergents and even chemicals mixed up,” Mutoro said as quoted by The Business daily.
He said that different items need to be packed separately to avoid contamination which can eventually lead to health hazards.“Such items need to be packed separately to avoid contamination.”
In addition, the COFEK Secretary-General said that retailers need to come up with a way that will see the cost of carrier bags factored into the general cost to save customers from extra costs.
The ban on plastic carrier bags came in to effect on August 28th and anyone found to be manufacturing, distributing or using them could face a fine of up to Sh4million or a 4-year sentence.