The Malawi Environmental Protection Authority (Mepa) in partnership with the Environmental Affairs Department will today start confiscating thin plastics in compliance with a court order banning production and use of the environmental hazard.
Enforcement of the Environmental Management Policy was halted in 2015 due to a court injunction against the enforcement obtained by some thin plastics manufacturers.
Addressing the media in Lilongwe yesterday on the resumption of thin plastics ban enforcement, Ministry of Natural Resources and Climate Change Principal Secretary Yusuf Mkungula said the enforcement follows a High Court ruling of January 31 2025 that discharged an injunction by 11 thin plastics manufacturers stopping the government from enforcing their ban.
carrier bags. | Nation
“The court has energised us and we will go with full force in inspecting manufacturers, distributors, retailers and users. We will confiscate all thin plastics that we find,” he said.
Taking his turn, Mepa director general Wilfred Kadewa said the confiscated thin plastics will be sold to companies which have the capacity to recycle them into thick and recommended plastics.
“We want to promote the use of recommended plastics or the use of alternative carrying bags which we will be sensitising the public on,” he said.
Kadewa added that from today, officials from Mepa and the Environment Affairs Department will be inspecting factories, warehouses and shops to confiscate thin plastics.
The Environmental Management Policy bans the importation, manufacture, trade or commercial distribution of plastic bags that are less than 60 micrometres thick.
The injunction exposed the country to further negative effects of plastic waste, with reports indicating that plastics can stay up to 100 years without decaying and affects aquatic life.
