Environment minister Francis Nhema said there is no going back on the ban on thin plastics and legal action will soon be taken on those violating the laws.
Nhema was speaking at a packaging indaba running under the theme – “Let’s talk plastics and the environment debate”, organised by plastic manufacturers in Harare yesterday.
The minister however admitted there is change for the better from Zimbabweans but full compliance remains the goal.
“There is notable difference nowadays. We don’t see plastics anymore as much as we used to see before but if we see no change we will engage the legal entity to move in if people do not participate,” said Nhema.
He said the packaging indaba came at a time the position on the plastics packaging was a subject of huge debate amongst packaging organisations and consumers in the country.
“We are faced with plastics packaging related environmental challenges that are felt by each and every citizen regardless of their socio-economic stratum. We find waste from plastics packaging materials in the streets, storm water drains, bulk water, within the rural settlements in the farms and along the major highways in our country,” said Nhema.
“Plastics also lead to death of livestock and every year animals such as cattle, donkeys, sheep and goats die from ingesting plastic bags and the ingested plastics remain intact even after the death and decomposition of the animals.”
Delta Packaging Safety, Health and Environment manager Guide Ndawana said: “We hope this is a positive development to everybody and also good for the general public health. We should simply recycle as much as possible. All we need to do is to share the burden.”
