Africa-Press – Malawi. Climate conservation experts have said Malawi can make strides in effective waste management if it adopts a circular economy system.
Circular economy is a model of production and consumption which involves recycling existing materials and products as long as possible.
Environmentalists on Wednesday met in Blantyre to discuss waste management mechanisms.
The meeting was organised by Waste Advisers, an organisation which focuses on developing and monitoring sustainable and contextual systems for liquid and solid waste management.
Waste Advisers Programmes Manager Stella Jere said that the organisation is working towards forming a national network for efficiency in waste management.
She said it is high time the country moves from a linear economy (buying a product, using it and throwing it away) to a circular economy.
“The country is currently practising linear economy. It will take a bit of time to adopt a circular economy because it also requires behaviour change from the grassroots level.
“So we are getting there but it is [currently] individual effort and that is why we are coming up with this network in order to foster collaboration in addressing these challenges,” Jere said.
Blantyre City Council Director of Health and Social Services Samden Seunda said a linear mode of waste management is costly, hence the need to shift to a circular economy.
“We would like to promote integrated waste management and a circular economy where waste should be re-used. Studies have shown that over 80 percent of waste generated in cities is organic and can be converted to other products,” he said.
Easypack Limited Country Manager Kaliyaperumal Pugalendhi said companies should take a leading role in producing environment friendly materials
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