Some eleven companies in the production and selling of thin plastic papers have obtained a court injunction stopping the government of Malawi from starting the enforcement of the ban on thin plastics.

Government of Malawi through the Malawi Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) was due to start enforcing the ban on the thin plastics papers from Tuesday, 9 July 2024 following the recent dismissal of the case by the Malawi Supreme Court in Blantyre.

Spokesperson in the office of the Malawi’s Attorney General Emmanuel Loya has since confirmed that the office of the attorney general has been served with the injunction which grants an extension of time, permission to apply for Judicial review and referral of the matter as a constitutional issue.

Loya says the AG will make a proper decision on the matter after scrutinizing the documents.

The government of Malawi took a direction to ban thin plastics as a way of fighting plastic pollution in the country.

Experts say plastic papers once released into the environment take up to 100 years to dicompose therefore advocating for the ban.