NAIROBI, Kenya June 4 – A human rights lobby group has raised concern over rising health risks linked to the unregulated reuse of glass bottles in Kenya.
According to Genesis Human Rights Commission program Director Caleb Ngwena, unscrupulous bottling firms are collecting discarded liquor and beverage bottles from dumpsites and unhygienic locations, then reselling them without proper cleaning or sanitation.
“These contaminated bottles, some retrieved from garbage heaps and sewage sites, are refilled and sold to the public without detoxification,” Ngwena said, noting their use in packaging local brews like mnazi, milk, and even honey.
Ngwena accused the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), the Public Health Department, and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) of negligence, saying their failure to regulate bottle reuse is endangering lives.
“These reused bottles carry dangerous pathogens and chemicals. Without proper sterilization, they pose a serious health threat,” he said.
The lobby is demanding public audits of bottling firms, proper labeling of reused bottles, strict penalties for non-compliance, public awareness campaigns, and mandatory sterilization or remanufacturing before reuse.
