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Professor Judi Wangalwa Wakhungu was Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources – the first woman to be appointed to the post – when she brought in the “world's toughest law against plastic bags” with help from Environment Secretary Dr Alice A Kaudia.

The nation-wide ban they imposed was the women’s hard-fought response to a ‘national disaster of polythene addiction’. Despite facing powerful opposition from industry, and criticism for their ‘draconian’ approach (fines of up to $38,000 were introduced for anyone found in possession of a plastic bag), the law came into force in August 2017. Already it’s had powerful results – from cleaner streets and highways to healthier wildlife, reinvigoration of the sisal industry (decimated thanks to plastic’s arrival in the 1970s), the development of livelihood opportunities for women in making reusable bags, and the reduction of harmful emissions.

Judi is now living in Paris, serving as Kenya’s Ambassador to France, Portugal, Serbia & Holy See, but her and Alice’s plastic bag ban continues to have a big impact in Kenya – so much so that other east African nations are considering following suit. Next, the world?

Support Judi and Alice

Be part of the solution in your own country by refusing plastic bags whenever you shop. Carry reusable ones, and remind others to do the same!

You can learn more about the ban here and here, follow Judi on Twitter and Instagram, and follow Alice on Twitter.

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Chelsea Briganti and Leigh Ann Tucker are award-winning industrial designers and Co-Founders of LOLIWARE – the world’s first edible bioplastic company dedicated to replacing plastic with hypercompostable, edible materials derived from seaweed. They co-founded LOLIWARE in 2014 seeking to change the world of sustainable product design and invent a solution to the global plastic crisis.

LOLIWARE’s first product was the first and only edible disposable cup. With the launch of their new innovation LOLISTRAW, the world’s first hypercompostable, edible drinking straw, the company is poised to compete with bio-based plastics that break down in the organics bin alongside food waste in 60 days or less.

Prior to launching LOLIWARE, Chelsea and Leigh Ann designed breakthrough innovations for global CPG (consumer packaged goods) companies. This experience led them to question the concept that all products should be ‘built to last’ and the status quo of manufacturing single-use items to last well beyond their useful life. LOLIWARE believes single-use products should be designed to disappear if they are to exist at all, and aspires to reintroduce sustainability as “fun-forward & ripe with experiential possibilities”. The team recently announced their ambitious plan to replace one billion plastic disposables by 2020.

Support Chelsea and Leigh Ann

Follow the LOLIWARE journey on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Learn more on the LOLIWARE website

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Rachelle Strauss is founder of award-winning annual awareness campaign Zero Waste Week, which inspires and supports millions to reduce their landfill waste. She began the week-long campaign, which takes place every September, in 2008 – inspired by devastating flooding in her native UK which brought climate impacts much closer to home.

Zero Waste week helps individuals, businesses, schools and local authorities implement successful zero-waste strategies that help them save money and resources, and to do their bit for their community. The campaign has engaged millions online and signed up participants in over 80 countries, attracting media stories and coverage in documentaries, film and radio across the world along the way. Organisations ranging from Penguin Books and supermart Ocado to Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and Martin Lewis’s Money Saving Expert have also backed Zero Waste Week.

Rachelle’s mantra is “there’s no such place as away!” – reminding us that when we throw something ‘away’ it’s simply going somewhere else – a landfill site, an incinerator or a ship across the ocean. Her work is helping millions reduce their impact in pursuit of a cleaner, safer world for everyone.

Support Rachelle

Help co-create a zero-waste world by donating to keep ZWW’s important work going at https://www.zerowasteweek.co.uk/donations/

Learn more on the Zero Waste Week website, and follow Rachelle on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram