Online Reporter
Fungai Lupande-Mashonaland Central Bureau
ZIMBABWE has joined a regional initiative aimed at reducing harmful chemicals found in plastics through a five-year project focusing on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which pose serious health and environmental risks.
The national technical coordinator, Professor Farai Mapanda and an academic at the University of Zimbabwe, said the country is actively participating in the regional programme titled “Secular and Purpose-Free Plastics in Africa.”
The primary objective of the project is to reduce the amount of persistent organic pollutants present in plastics.
“These chemical compounds increase the durability of plastics, but they have serious health implications, including cancer,” explained Prof Mapanda.
He highlighted that Zimbabwe is currently characterising plastic waste, identifying the pollutants present, and training waste recyclers, who play a crucial role in mitigating the harmful effects of plastic pollution.
“Recyclers are a key part of this initiative. They help alleviate pressure on our waste disposal sites and prevent dangerous pollutants from leaching into groundwater or being released into the atmosphere during burning,” he said.
This initiative aligns with Zimbabwe’s Presidential Waste Collection Programme, which has already made significant progress in clearing plastic waste from the environment.
However, Prof Mapanda emphasised that collection is just the first step.
“We are now advocating for a holistic approach that ensures collected waste is recycled or repurposed,” he said.
“We aim to promote circularity in plastic use, minimising what ends up in dumpsites.”
The project also targets plastic manufacturers and importers, encouraging them to adopt safer alternatives to the harmful chemical additives currently used in plastic production.
Prof Mapanda noted that these alternatives have already been proven effective in other countries.
“The goal is to eventually revise our legal and statutory instruments to mandate safer, non-toxic materials in both imported and locally produced plastics,” he said.
Through this medium-term intervention, Zimbabwe hopes to pave the way for long-term legislative reforms that will protect both human health and the environment from the dangers posed by persistent organic pollutants.
Meanwhile, efforts to combat plastic pollution are intensifying in Mashonaland Central Province, where a new research project is focusing on the use of harmful persistent organic pollutants found in plastics.
This study is currently centred in the districts of Shamva, Bindura, Mt Darwin, and Mazowe—areas with a high concentration of manufacturing and retail industries that are major consumers of plastic materials.
The objective of the research is to discourage the use of plastics, particularly thin plastics and those containing POPs, which pose significant health and environmental risks.
This local research initiative contributes to the broader national campaign, National Clean-Up Day, which this July focuses on the theme: “End Plastic Pollution”.
The campaign encourages both industry and communities to adopt safer, more sustainable waste management practices and reduce reliance on plastics.
The Environmental Management Agencyy’s provincial environmental education and publicist officer, Maxwell Mupotsa said Mashonaland Central’s survey will inform future interventions.
