A Nakuru based environmentalists, James Wakibia, is urging the county government to introduce a bill that will see customers charged extra for the paper bags given to them.

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Wakibia said that customers should be encouraged to shop with environmental friendly bags that are below 60 microns.

Addressing journalists in Nakuru on Monday, Wakibia said that an estimated 100 million paper bags are issued by the supermarkets in the country.

“It is the same paper bags that end up clogging our sewerage system leading to cases of cholera and hepatitis A,” said Wakibia.

Through twitter campaign, #BanPlasticsKE, they petitioned the county government to come up with proper waste management plan.

He appealed to supermarkets to charge direct costs to the papers to reduce plastic waste.

“Residents should be encouraged to carry their own bags including Kiondos. Supermarkets should also encourage the use of paper bags and Kiondos by giving bonga points to the people who use the environmental friendly bags. We call on the government to make it hard for manufacturers to produce the bags that are blow 60 microns hence discouraging them,” said Wakibia.

Kio Kinuthia said that the government should revisit the polythene bags ban that was passed a few years ago.

“The enforcement of the law was poor at that time but currently we are choking in plastic. We seek to have even airport screened and one is taxed excessive duty if found with a paper bag that is exceeding the required limits. This would discourage people from importing such trash to the county,” said Kinuthia.