[The alternative carriers that were introduced after the ban on plastic bags [photo|Citizen Digital]
Consumers and traders in Nyamira county have faulted the national government for the ban of plastic bags four months down the line saying it was rushed without giving cheaper alternatives.
Business people have lamented that life has become unbearable without the plastic bags since the ban took effect on August 28 last year.
They futher complained that the alternative carriers are expensive. Sometimes they cost more than the goods a customer has bought.
“A customer can come to my shop and buy vegetables for Sh20, yet the bag costs Sh30 or Sh50. The bags are too much expensive. Small-scale traders are not making any profits.
“Consumers cannot afford the bags. Our businesses are deteriorating because most times a customer needs to carry some items home but because there are no cheap bags, they buy nothing,” grocery owner Jane Omosa said.
For instance, pineapple vendors in Kebirigo market, Nyamira, say their businesses have gone down since the ban was implemented.
The vendors can no longer wrap them in the polythene paper to avoid the government’s fine.
Their sales have since gone done, as most customers doubt the hygiene of the pineapples, which are often exposed.
“My business has gone down since the ban took effect. I used to wrap the sliced pineapples in polythene bags, but I have since opted to use improvised sticks, which a customer uses to hold the pineapple,"lamented one of the vendors.
“Sometimes the fruit falls before even the customer eats it. I am forced to give him-her another piece, and that’s a loss. Some customers are not comfortable with the way the pineapples are exposed. They worry that the fruit may be contaminated,” he continued.