Karonga Youths Fight Plastic Pollution with Recycling
Karonga youths fight plastic pollution with recycling innovations.
Karonga, Malawi - Youths in Karonga district have intensified the fight against plastic pollution by embracing a number of innovations that promote recycling, writes Grace Kaonga, MANA.
Speaking in an interview, Karonga District Youth Representative, Davie Kitalo, said apart from conducting clean-up activities, they have been training youths on how to produce plastic bricks and briquettes from the waste.
"We are doing clean-up activities as one way of making sure we clean up plastics from our town and use the plastics to make bricks. We are also protecting our environment by moulding briquettes to avoid the cutting down of trees for charcoal and firewood," he said.
Kitalo said the clean-up exercises and recycling of plastic waste are helping to keep the environment clean as well as reducing deforestation as the briquettes are used for cooking instead of charcoal.
In a separate interview, environmental activist Maloto Chikombero said that as a country, Malawi has not been resolute enough to eliminate the use of thin plastics. However, he observed that there has been an increase in youth involvement in environmental protection activities.
"More youths are interested in participating in environmental conservation activities than was the case in the past. However, there is a need for the youths to broaden their innovations into knitting plastic baskets and bags, thereby reducing the use of plastics," he said.
Chikombero expressed concern about the delays in having the injunction against the thin plastic use ban lifted.
"We feel pity that the more we want to end thin plastic use, the more companies continue to produce thin plastics," he said.
The theme for this year's World Environment Day which fell on June 5, focused on solutions to plastic pollution under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution.
The youth in Karonga are a shining example of how young people can be at the forefront of environmental protection.
By embracing recycling and other innovative solutions, they are helping to keep their community clean and healthy.
Pity there were no photographs to back up their claims.
In Rwanda the fantastic clean up is evidenced by photographs.