Plastics ban to be enforced

The director of environment in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mines Aloysius Kamperewera has said the ban on plastic bags which was effective April 30 2013 will be enforced by early next week.

In an interview, Kamperewera said the ban had taken long to be effected because there were still further consultations taking place.

“The plastic ban is still there only that enforcing it has taken time. But by the end of this week or early next week, a public notice will be put in the press notifying people what needs to happen and how to observe the reinforcement,” said Kamperewera.

In February 2013, government directed that with effect from April 30 2013, usage and importation of plastic bags with a thickness of 60 microcentimetres should cease because they are difficult to dispose of and are a health hazard.

The ministry, formerly just responsible for environment and climate change management, in a statement said thin plastics are increasingly being used in Malawi as carrier bags and packaging material, yet they are dangerous.

“The ministry wishes to inform the public that plastics are difficult to dispose of as they do not decompose easily,” read the statement justifying the ban.