From Miracle to Menace: The Fight Against Plastic Pollution — Gloria Majiga

Once heralded as a miraculous material, plastic now poses a slow and insidious threat to our waterways, landscapes, and ecosystems. Plastic pollution impacts different regions of the world to varying degrees, and Malawi stands out as a notable example. An estimated 75,000 tons of plastic are manufactured annually in the country, with a minimum of 80% of these plastics being discarded as single-use items. Following pressure from environmental activists, the Government of Malawi took action by implementing a nationwide prohibition on the production, distribution, and importation of thin plastics in 2015. This ban was specifically aimed at plastics with a thickness of 60 microns or less, roughly equivalent to the thickness of plastic bags commonly used for fruits and vegetables in grocery stores. 

One of the prominent advocates driving the campaign for the prohibition of single-use plastics was Gloria Majiga, a community development officer and dedicated environmental activist. She was awarded the 2021 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa, acknowledging her remarkable efforts in championing the implementation of the nationwide ban on single-use plastics in Malawi. Linkedin

Resources:

• Whatever happened to the Malawian anti-plastic activist inspired by goats? (NPR, August 2022)
• Malawi’s landscape is clogged with plastic waste that could linger for 100 years. One woman has taken on plastic companies and won (CNN June 2021)

Key highlights

• Introduction – 00:24
• The development-environment tradeoff - 05:03
• Waste management strategies and practices - 07:47
• Goats and the plastic ban - 20:27
• The role of the judiciary and implementation of the ban- 32:12
• The environmental consequences of investments - 40:58
• Are leaders the problem? - 47:26

Host:

Professor Dan Banik, 

Centre for Global Sustainability, University of Oslo

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