About 70 tonnes of single-use plastics have been impounded in Malawi this year at border checks and vendors’ shops and warehouses, RHODAH KHEMBO of Malawi Nerws Agency writes
Malawi Environmental Protection Authority (MEPA) has seized almost 70 tonnes of single-use plastics this year through border checks and vendor raids as part of enforcement for 2015 Plastic Regulation to stop urban flooding and health risks across Malawi.
MEPA Environmental Information and Education Manager, Aubren Chirwa, said in an interview with Malawi News Agency on Monday that they are cutting off supply of banned plastics by confiscating them from manufactures, vendors and entry points such as the Mchinji Border.
“The whole idea is to suffocate the supply chain for the plastics. Sometimes the plastics find their way into the country from neighboring countries based on some evidence of plastics which were confiscated coming from Zambia in May last year,” he said.
Chirwa said the Authority is partnering with Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) and waste advisors on a plastic biochar challenge, and lobbying hotels to separate single-use waste.
“Plastics below 60 microns are illegal because they can cause cancer, intestinal diseases and can also affect livestock," he said.
Executive Director for Coordination Union for Rehabilitation of the Environment (CURE), Charles Mkoka, said traders and manufactures continue to produce and distribute banned plastics while consumers use them because they are cheap, affordable and readily available while alternatives remain scarce.
"The ban needs to be supported by sustained public education, stronger monitoring at production and points of entry, and consistent enforcement across the country. There are also challenges associated with coordination between government agencies, local authorities, manufacturers, traders and communities which needs to be addressed,” he said.
Mkoka added that single-use plastics block drains thereby causing urban flooding, killing livestock, polluting water bodies, and releasing toxic smoke that harms human health when burned.
"Malawi needs to move beyond simply banning plastics to building a comprehensive circular economy for packaging and waste management,” he said.
He appealed to government to strengthen enforcement at manufacturing facilities and borders, invest in affordable alternatives, and promote a culture of reduce, reuse and recycle.
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CHRALES MKOKA - The ban on plasrics needs to be supported by sustained public education