Environmentalists call for urgent action on plastic ban in Malawi

Karen Price (R, Front), a board member of the Coordination Unit for the Rehabilitation of the Environment, presents a petition to Registrar of the High Court and Supreme Court of Appeal Kondwani Banda during an event commemorating World Environment Day in Blantyre, Malawi, on June 5, 2023. On World Environment Day which falls on Monday this year, environmentalists in Malawi presented a petition to the country's judiciary through the High Court, calling for swift action on the ban of plastics in the country. (Photo by Joseph Mizere/Xinhua)

BLANTYRE, Malawi, June 5 (Xinhua) -- On World Environment Day which falls on Monday this year, environmentalists in Malawi presented a petition to the country's judiciary through the High Court, calling for swift action on the ban of plastics in the country.

Karen Price, a board member of the Coordination Unit for the Rehabilitation of the Environment, a local non-governmental organization, joined other stakeholders in presenting the petition to the Court in Blantyre, Malawi's commercial capital.

Malawi issued a ban on the use, sale, production, exportation and importation of plastic bags of less than 60 microns in December 2012 but, a month later, the Plastic Manufacturers Association of Malawi obtained a court order against the ban.

Ever since, there has been back-and-forth legal tussling between the plastic manufacturers and the Malawian government, with the former claiming that they were not consulted to get prepared for the ban.

The courts in Malawi have reinstated the ban twice, in 2015 and in 2019 but, to date, the implementation has always been blocked by injunctions from the plastics manufacturers, hence the environmentalists call for speedy action from the judiciary.

"We have chosen to present this petition today as a reminder to the judiciary of the critical need to address the environmental problems caused by plastics," said Price. "We are sending a message to the judiciary, emphasizing the importance of working together to implement the plastic ban in Malawi."

Participating stakeholders in the Day's events included religious leaders, students, non-governmental organizations and community members.

Chairperson for the Qadria Muslim Association of Malawi Jaffalie Kawinga said the thin plastic trade benefits only a few individuals, leaving the lives of millions at risk.

"This trade poses a serious threat to the environment, with detrimental impacts on the entire nation; As a religious leader, I stand in solidarity with civil society organizations, urging responsible institutions to take action," said Kawinga.

Registrar of the High Court and Supreme Court of Appeal Kondwani Banda received the petition on behalf of Chief Justice Rezine Mzikamanda, assuring the concerned parties that the matter will be duly considered.

According to a report from the United Nations Development Programme in 2019, Malawi produces estimated 75,000 tonnes of plastics each year, of which 80 percent were single-use plastics that could not be recycled.

June 5 is World Environment Day, which has been celebrated annually since 1973, and this year's theme focuses on solutions to plastic pollution under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution.

People take part in an event commemorating World Environment Day in Blantyre, Malawi, on June 5, 2023. On World Environment Day which falls on Monday this year, environmentalists in Malawi presented a petition to the country's judiciary through the High Court, calling for swift action on the ban of plastics in the country. (Photo by Joseph Mizere/Xinhua)

People take part in an event commemorating World Environment Day in Blantyre, Malawi, on June 5, 2023. On World Environment Day which falls on Monday this year, environmentalists in Malawi presented a petition to the country's judiciary through the High Court, calling for swift action on the ban of plastics in the country. (Photo by Joseph Mizere/Xinhua)

People take part in an event commemorating World Environment Day in Blantyre, Malawi, on June 5, 2023. On World Environment Day which falls on Monday this year, environmentalists in Malawi presented a petition to the country's judiciary through the High Court, calling for swift action on the ban of plastics in the country. (Photo by Joseph Mizere/Xinhua)