PLASTIC WASTE IN MALAWI, AFRICA
Problems
- Single-use plastic bags are regularly used at markets for produce and snacks
- People discard them in the market when they have eaten snacks
- Plastic bags do not biodegrade so rubbish just mounts up
- Chickens and goats forage through the plastic to get to grass
Solutions
- The central and local government banned single-use plastic bags
- Locals are instucted to use baskets, material and newspaper to carry their produce home from markets
- Community groups are running clean up campaigns
SINGLE-USE BAGS HAVE NOW BEEN BANNED
Achievements and Future Plans
We are working locally with community groups from Kande to Kachere to raise awareness and carry out litter clear ups. We have funded a public awareness campaign to cover the whole of Nkhata Bay District and we have provided rubbish bins at markets to encourage locals to responsibly dispose of waste. We aim to continue supporting community groups to make sure littering becomes a thing of the past. Now that the ban on single-use plastic has been introduced, we hope that market sites in particular will soon be much cleaner.
How We Work
We have three Litter Leaders who gather community groups of 10 people to discuss the litter problems in their villages. They create awareness campaigns that include theatrical performances which they enact at schools, the market and other locations. These community groups encourage their fellow villagers to come together to collect litter in an effort to clean up the environment.
$21 a month could help communities clean up their village
TRAINING FOR MARKET TRADERS
ON ALTERNATIVE PACKAGING
LOCALS ENCOURAGED TO USE SUSTAINABLE
ITEMS TO CARRY THEIR FOOD HOME
This project addresses the following Sustainable Development Goals:
