THANK YOU to our donors. The court case is WON. Now we at WESM and our partners have to make sure it happens. Please continue to support our campaign.
The Supreme Court of Malawi has dismissed the appeal by thin plastics manufacturers that they were not consulted properly on the implications of the plastics ban. The Court says the companies were given enough time to prepare to stop plastics production.
This means it is now illegal in Malawi to produce or sell plastic under 60 microns thick and people who disobey the law face fines, closures of factories and seizures of their products.
In June 2015 the Malawi Government enforced a ban on thin plastics through the 1999 Environmental Protection Act. But in January 2016 fourteen Malawi companies obtained an injunction.
At least 75,000 tonnes of plastic has been produced every year in Malawi, 0ver 80% of it is single-use plastic which cannot be recycled.
Already we're met and are working with tour operations along the southern Lake. Our next plan is to meet and get pledges of action from businesses around Nkata Bay.
Microplastics have been found in tilapia fish in Lake Victoria and waterbirds in Southern Africa. In Malawi, many people rely on chambo, fish from Lake Malawi, for their protein. Livestock goats, chickens, pigs, cows roam Malawian villages, eating waste, including discarded plastics.
WESM is committed to fight for the ban on thin plastic, but we are in need of funds. All money raised through this campaign has helped us organise village meetings to publicise the dangers of thin plastics, fund lobbying and meet the legal fees needed to launch an appeal to the current stay order. But we need your continuing support as the case now comes back to court.
Malawi's warm heart is not made of plastic. Please join us in protecting it.
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