Much
of
Zimbabwe’s
plastic
waste
isn’t
disposed
of
properly.
It
has
clogged
rivers,
littered
streets,
and
had
been
linked
to
deadly
flash
floods
and
animal
deaths.
This
story
was
originally
published
by
Global
Press
Journal.
HARARE,
ZIMBABWE
—
At
Mbare
marketplace,
a
major
trading
hub
in
Zimbabwe,
plastic
bags
are
everywhere.
Vendors
stack
them
at
the
ready
for
customers,
who
tote
their
purchases
home
and
often
discard
the
bags
after
a
single
use.
Many
of
these
plastic
bags
are
either
imported
from
China
or
sold
by
local
Chinese
companies,
and
fail
to
meet
Zimbabwe’s
standards
for
plastic
packaging.
“We
know
this
type
of
plastic
isn’t
allowed,
but
we
sell
it
anyway.
It’s
cheaper,
and
there
is
a
huge
demand
for
it
in
the
market,”
says
Tichaona,
a
local
plastic
bag
vendor
who
sources
his
bags
from
a
Chinese
company
in
Harare.
He
provided
only
his
first
name
for
fear
of
arrest.
In
some
cases,
plastic
bag
buyers
don’t
even
know
that
the
bags
are
thinner
than
is
legal,
says
one
employee
at
Colour
Maximal,
a
Chinese-owned
plastic
manufacturing
company
in
Harare,
who
asked
Global
Press
Journal
to
protect
his
identity
for
fear
of
losing
his
job.
“We
know
what
the
quality
should
be,
but
we
never
produce
it,”
he
says.
“Customers
are
told
these
plastics
meet
the
30-micron
requirement,
but
that’s
simply
not
true.”
Zimbabwean
law
bans
the
production
and
distribution
of
plastic
packaging
thinner
than
30
microns
(a
unit
of
measurement
to
describe
plastic
thickness),
except
for
bread
packaging,
which
must
measure
at
least
25
microns.
However,
the
country
faces
an
influx
of
inexpensive
plastic
imports
from
China,
coupled
with
a
rise
in
Chinese-owned
manufacturing
firms,
which
now
dominate
the
plastic
industry.
Many
of
these
importers
and
manufacturers
exploit
weak
law
enforcement
to
produce
plastics
that
measure
lower
than
the
standard,
exacerbating
a
pollution
crisis
that’s
already
critical.
“[They]
don’t
care
about
quality.
Their
products
are
cheaper.
People
can
just
walk
in
and
buy
in
bulk,”
says
Donald
Marumbwe,
who
has
worked
in
the
plastic
manufacturing
industry
for
over
30
years.
Global
Press
Journal
collected
samples
from
Colour
Maximal
and
independently
tested
them.
All
samples
were
thinner
than
the
required
30
microns.
Some
bags
measured
were
just
20
microns.
Global
Press
Journal
also
measured
bread
bags
from
Mbare
marketplace,
which,
according
to
the
regulations,
should
range
between
25
to
30
microns.
Some
of
those
bags
measured
as
thin
as
6
microns.
Thin
plastic
bags,
often
used
just
once,
can
take
thousands
of
years
to
decompose,
turning
into
harmful
microplastics
that
threaten
wildlife
and
enter
the
human
food
chain.
Thicker
plastic
is
likely
to
be
reused
and
recycled,
reducing
environmental
impact.
But
thin
plastic
is
cheaper
to
make,
says
Tatenda
Murwira,
a
manager
at
Colour
Maximal.
It’s
the
reason
his
employer
manufactures
this
kind
of
plastic,
despite
the
law.
“We’re
profit-oriented,”
he
says.
“It’s
all
about
saving
materials
and
keeping
prices
competitive.”
In
the
end,
it’s
Zimbabweans
who
suffer.
A
significant
portion
of
plastic
waste
—
approximately
18%
of
the
country’s
total
waste
—
isn’t
disposed
of
properly.
It
has
clogged
rivers,
littered
streets,
and,
worse,
been
linked
to
deadly
flash
floods
and
animal
deaths
due
to
ingestion.
Since
2010,
plastics,
both
locally
produced
and
imported,
have
caused
the
deaths
of
about
5,000
animals.
Amkela
Sidange,
the
environmental
education
and
publicity
manager
at
Zimbabwe’s
Environmental
Management
Agency,
says
they
conduct
routine
inspections
to
prevent
the
manufacturing
and
distribution
of
plastic
that
doesn’t
meet
requirements.
Those
caught
violating
the
law
face
fines
that
could
reach
500
United
States
dollars.
But
Murwira,
the
manager
at
Colour
Maximal,
says
that
while
officials
from
the
environment
agency
have
visited
the
company,
which
has
been
operating
for
more
than
a
decade,
they’ve
never
inspected
the
factory.
“They
never
check
the
quality
of
our
products,”
he
says.
Once
the
packaging
gets
into
the
market,
it’s
hard
to
trace
back
to
the
manufacturer.
“[The
companies]
don’t
put
their
names
on
the
packages
because
they
don’t
want
it
traced
back
to
them,”
Marumbwe
says.
None
of
the
plastic
bags
Global
Press
Journal
examined
at
Mbare
marketplace
had
a
manufacturer’s
name
on
them.
Although
South
Africa
is
the
main
supplier
of
materials
used
to
produce
most
of
the
plastic
packaging
circulating
in
the
country,
these
imports
are
on
the
decline
while
imports
from
China
are
on
the
rise.
In
2012,
Zimbabwe
imported
10.9
million
dollars’
worth
of
plastic
raw
materials
from
China.
By
2023,
that
number
had
increased
fivefold
to
54.8
million
dollars,
according
to
data
from
Trade
Economics.
“We’re
profit-oriented.
It’s
all
about
saving
materials
and
keeping
prices
competitive.”
Tatenda
Murwira,
a
manager
at
Colour
Maximal
China
is
also
a
major
player
in
Zimbabwe’s
manufacturing
sector,
largely
thanks
to
former
President
Robert
Mugabe’s
push
to
strengthen
ties
with
East
Asian
countries.
Mugabe
famously
described
China
as
“our
second
home,
a
part
of
us”
in
2006.
By
2015,
China
was
Zimbabwe’s
biggest
foreign
investor,
and
its
hold
over
key
sectors,
including
mining
and
manufacturing,
has
grown.
The
investment
has
promoted
growth,
but
it’s
also
come
with
challenges,
including
environmental
degradation.
Chinese-owned
companies’
disregard
for
regulation
is
indicative
of
a
larger
problem,
says
Gift
Mugano,
a
professor
of
economics
at
the
Durban
University
of
Technology,
in
South
Africa.
“They
are
in
bed
with
the
politicians.
[The]
Chinese
work
with
people
in
high
offices,
so
they’re
kind
of
covered,
and
they
don’t
respect
the
environmental
laws,”
Mugano
says.
It’s
a
widespread
problem
in
Africa,
where
dependency
on
such
investors
is
common,
he
says.
In
Zimbabwe,
the
situation
is
even
worse
because
the
country
is
mired
in
debt,
which
makes
it
susceptible
to
influence
from
one
of
its
primary
investors.
“[It’s]
a
new
wave
of
neo-colonialism,”
Mugano
adds.
Zimbabwe
has
made
several
attempts
to
address
its
plastic
problem,
including
a
20%
tax
on
plastic
bags,
which
went
into
effect
in
January.
But
companies
routinely
dodge
that
tax,
just
as
they’ve
avoided
the
plastic
bag
regulations,
says
the
Colour
Maximal
employee
who
spoke
on
condition
of
anonymity.
“At
the
end
of
2024,
Zimbabwe
Revenue
Authority
representatives
visited
our
offices,
threatening
to
shut
us
down
for
nonpayment
of
taxes,”
he
says.
Murwira,
the
manager,
says
Colour
Maximal
is
fully
tax
compliant.
Global
Press
Journal
visited
a
plastic-packaging
production
company
formally
registered
as
Liwei
Wang
but
currently
trading
as
Multiple
Star.
Upon
inquiry,
factory
representatives
said
that
their
plastic
bags
measured
only
20
microns,
short
of
the
standard.
On
display
at
the
site
was
an
expired
2024
tax
clearance
certificate.
Global
Press
is
an
award-winning
international
news
publication
with
more
than
40
independent
newsrooms
in
Africa,
Asia
and
Latin
America.
Post
published
in:
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