How big is the plastic problem in Malawi?

Plastic waste constitutes a significant proportion of all waste in Malawi and many other cities of the world. According to CNN, the consumption of plastic was at three million tonnes in the 1950s, but by 2007, it had reached 100 million tonnes. People’s inclination to using plastic is due to the fact that it is durable and very convenient to use. Plastic does not decompose easily and can stay buried in the soil for as many as 50 to one million years, depending on how thick it is.
Plastic waste management remains a nightmare for city authorities anywhere in the world, even in developed countries with advanced and efficient waste management facilities. For instance, the UK is known to generate over 30 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, but recycles only 24 percent of it. On the African continent, it is officially accepted that the plastic problem is distressing. Plastic packages have replaced natural and biodegradable materials as a cheap, quick way to package food and shopping items.

In Malawi, there is a growing concern in the collaboration between plastic products and their role in environmental pollution. Debate regarding this contamination has become common in an effort to sustain people’s health. The country has been tackling the plastic waste issue with seriousness by enforcing a ban on thin plastics less than 60 micrometers in thickness and prohibiting their use effective from April 30 2013. Specifically, the ban is on the production, importation and its use. In its public notice of February 23 2013, government advised manufactures and importers to comply with the ban. Furthermore, government also encouraged the public to use alternative environmentally friendly carrier material such as paper or sisal bags.

As the necessity for plastic bags as well as containers continues to rise in this country, so do the requirements for the recycling of plastic products. One of the most important reasons we should recycle plastics remains hidden in the fact that they take thousands of years to rot. This means these bulky and plentiful plastic materials either continue to fill up landfills or they end up in our streams, lakes, along the streets and meadows of our communities throughout the country. As recycling statics point out, plastics are not recycled as efficiently as they should be. This very important process will never begin until every citizen takes responsibility for its proper handling.
Plastic bags are produced from polymers derived from petroleum. The amount of petroleum used to make a plastic bag would drive a car about 11 metres (12 yards). By using recyclable plastic materials, factories can produce new products using approximately 2/3 less energy than with raw material production. One tonne of recycled plastic can save a years’ worth of energy consumption for two people. In addition to this, oil and natural gas are two of the main components used for the production of raw materials used to make plastic. These natural resources are not only in limited supply, but also in high demand for other important uses such as powering automobiles and producing electricity. Recycling plastic materials means that fewer natural resources are used for production of new plastic materials.
Although the manufacturing of plastics products may be well developed, few developing countries make their own raw materials. These are therefore imported. If products are not exported, foreign debt is created. By recycling local scrap, these imports and hence the debt, can be reduced. Where plastics feedstock is produced locally recycling may still save energy and raw petroleum.

Finally, a vigorous plastics recycling industry can provide unique opportunities for the poorest to earn a small income by collecting waste materials for sale to a recycling plant. Stepping up plastic waste prevention, preparation for re-use, recycling and separate plastic waste collection, as well as improving plastic design and plastic product design are all essential contributors to help achieve plastic production. Product designers need to be involved in the reflection of the entire life cycle of products including the waste phase. All actors involved in designing, producing, using and disposing of plastic products and handling plastic waste will have to contribute to a less wasteful economy. n

The author is scientific officer for National Herbarium & Botanic Gardens of Malawi, writing in her personal capacity.

Plastic waste constitutes a significant proportion of all waste in Malawi and many other cities of the world. According to CNN, the consumption of plastic was at three million tonnes in the 1950s, but by 2007, it had reached 100 million tonnes. People’s inclination to using plastic is due to the fact that it is durable and very convenient to use. Plastic does not decompose easily and can stay buried in the soil for as many as 50 to one million years, depending on how thick it is.
Plastic waste management remains a nightmare for city authorities anywhere in the world, even in developed countries with advanced and efficient waste management facilities. For instance, the UK is known to generate over 30 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, but recycles only 24 percent of it. On the African continent, it is officially accepted that the plastic problem is distressing. Plastic packages have replaced natural and biodegradable materials as a cheap, quick way to package food and shopping items.
In Malawi, there is a growing concern in the collaboration between plastic products and their role in environmental pollution. Debate regarding this contamination has become common in an effort to sustain people’s health. The country has been tackling the plastic waste issue with seriousness by enforcing a ban on thin plastics less than 60 micrometers in thickness and prohibiting their use effective from April 30 2013. Specifically, the ban is on the production, importation and its use. In its public notice of February 23 2013, government advised manufactures and importers to comply with the ban. Furthermore, government also encouraged the public to use alternative environmentally friendly carrier material such as paper or sisal bags.
As the necessity for plastic bags as well as containers continues to rise in this country, so do the requirements for the recycling of plastic products. One of the most important reasons we should recycle plastics remains hidden in the fact that they take thousands of years to rot. This means these bulky and plentiful plastic materials either continue to fill up landfills or they end up in our streams, lakes, along the streets and meadows of our communities throughout the country. As recycling statics point out, plastics are not recycled as efficiently as they should be. This very important process will never begin until every citizen takes responsibility for its proper handling.
Plastic bags are produced from polymers derived from petroleum. The amount of petroleum used to make a plastic bag would drive a car about 11 metres (12 yards). By using recyclable plastic materials, factories can produce new products using approximately 2/3 less energy than with raw material production. One tonne of recycled plastic can save a years’ worth of energy consumption for two people. In addition to this, oil and natural gas are two of the main components used for the production of raw materials used to make plastic. These natural resources are not only in limited supply, but also in high demand for other important uses such as powering automobiles and producing electricity. Recycling plastic materials means that fewer natural resources are used for production of new plastic materials.
Although the manufacturing of plastics products may be well developed, few developing countries make their own raw materials. These are therefore imported. If products are not exported, foreign debt is created. By recycling local scrap, these imports and hence the debt, can be reduced. Where plastics feedstock is produced locally recycling may still save energy and raw petroleum.
Finally, a vigorous plastics recycling industry can provide unique opportunities for the poorest to earn a small income by collecting waste materials for sale to a recycling plant. Stepping up plastic waste prevention, preparation for re-use, recycling and separate plastic waste collection, as well as improving plastic design and plastic product design are all essential contributors to help achieve plastic production. Product designers need to be involved in the reflection of the entire life cycle of products including the waste phase. All actors involved in designing, producing, using and disposing of plastic products and handling plastic waste will have to contribute to a less wasteful economy. n