Lesotho’s households, commercial entities, factories and government generate 137 510 tonnes of waste per year.
Of that, an average of 20 percent fall within the collection system, whereas 80 percent is unaccounted for, either illegally dumped or ends up in open burning practices. This is according to the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
Plastic pollution is a global crisis, with animals, plants and human life being affected by waste mismanagement. In Lesotho, it has exacerbated by the indiscriminate dumping and littering along roadsides, markets and other public spaces.
Plastic bags and bottles in particular are the main sources of pollution in Lesotho. The Rapid Assessment undertaken by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Lesotho in 2021 says 69 percent of all waste that finds its way into streams, rivers and eventually the ocean is plastic.
The report shows that littering and illegal dumping on the ground and in water sources is affecting and causing harm to the environment for all living things.
Environmental expert, Mahlomola Sesenyi says plastics wreak havoc on human, plant and animal health and can cause immense amounts of waste in ecosystems, clogging the land, air and waterways.
Sesenyi notes that plastic pollution poses a serious threat to all life on earth because of the toxic nature of the chemical additives used during the production process.
“Plastics are able to enter into the human bloodstream, permanently residing in our bodies until the day we die.
“The incineration of plastic waste in the disposal stage disperses chemicals into the air and causes the contamination of water and soil, lethal to all people who inevitably come in contact with it.
“Every time someone litters at the beach or fails to dispose of their waste properly, they contribute to the spread of toxic chemicals into the environment,” Sesenyi noted.
However, through local initiatives with different partners, Lesotho is taking steady action to reduce plastic pollution.
Parliament has legal instruments like the Environment (Plastic and Levy) Regulations, 2022 addressing and reducing the amount of plastic waste in the environment as well as promoting sustainable practices among businesses and consumers.
The regulations are another way of preventing and controlling pollution caused by single plastic to the environment thereby enabling people to enjoy clean and healthy environment as provided for under Section 4 of the Environment Act, 2008.
Advocate Limpho Sekete from the legal division of the ministry of environment says Lesotho chose the levy option because it has the potential to change human behavioural patterns. It also provides for the much-needed funds for controlling and preventing pollution, providing awareness and financing enforcement activities against environmental crimes.
“While the levy is ultimately intended to apply to all single use plastic material, the regulations are currently focusing on the plastic shopping bags with a minimum thickness of 25 to 35 microns, polyethylene, polypropylene and chloride, nylon.
“The amount of levy per a plastic bag between 25 and 35 microns is 90 cents. Flimsy plastic or plastic with a thickness that is less than 25 to 35 microns are totally prohibited.
“Plastic shopping bags used for primary packaging and plastic barrier bags used to separate goods for hygiene purposes will be exempted from the regulations,” Adv Sekete said.
He indicated that the plastic levy shall be collected by the Revenue Services Lesotho on behalf Ministry of Environment and Forestry and be deposited into the Environment Fund in accordance with laws and regulations governing the revenue collection.
A person who contravenes any provision of the Plastic Levy regulations commits a criminal offence and is liable to fine not less than M5000 or imprisonment not less than two years or both.
A person who is not satisfied with the decision of RSL shall appeal to the minister of environment after exhausting administrative internal remedies with RSL.
In another effort to address plastic pollution, Lesotho launched the plastic-free Wednesday initiative in 2021, courtesy of the UNDP, and retail stores like Shoprite, Pick n’ Pay and PEP.
The country has also created awareness among shoppers to reuse their shopping bags.
Furthermore, the ‘Cleanest Town Competition’ was launched in 2022 to create a sense of local pride among rural communities aiming to live in cleaner, healthier environments.
The government had also dedicated the final Friday of each month to the cleaning campaign known as Operation Hloekisa Lesotho.
Another notable initiative is that of a non-profit recycling company and environmental awareness centre named Pheha Plastic, that recycles plastic waste by shaping it into products like floor tiles that are sold at retail stores.
Founded by a Mosotho youth, Limpho Thoahlane in 2019, the centre aims to become a major player in plastic waste management for a greener Lesotho, while educating and inspiring communities into repurposing plastic into tradeable commodities.
In the same way that one can repurpose plastic, ReNoka, an integrated catchment management movement advices that one can help curb the spread of plastic waste by cutting the amount of plastic they use by switching to hemp, paper and glass product.
It shows that a person can also reduce the amount of plastic pollution by using plastic products like bags and bottles more than once.
“In that way, you will be cutting down the amount of plastic waste that can find its way into streams, rivers and eventually the ocean.
“But it is not just marine life that is affected because when you recycle, you protect the environment from harmful pollutants.
“Some plastics can take around 500 years to decompose on the ground, and in that time may cause harmful chemicals to get into the soil. The same soil where crops grow, cattle graze and people eat from is now becoming polluted due to plastics,” ReNoka says in its report.
UNDP Lesotho Resident Representative, Dr Jacqueline Olweya indicates that addressing the pollution crisis requires an all-society collaboration to develop and uphold shared value system for behaviour change regarding waste management.
She highlights that everyone including households, government, local authorities and private sector must assume their responsibility to promote sustainable consumption, shape waste management by adopting the reduce, refuse, recycle, repurpose principles for reducing plastic waste.
“We all can be the agents of change by setting an example to avoid single use plastic products or buying less wasteful products which end up in our environment,” she adds.
On the years, Lesotho has shown considerable commitment in ensuring healthy and safe environment through proper waste management and therefore developed national policies and legal instruments that cover waste management and pollution control though not comprehensive enough.
Policies such as the National Environment Policy, 1998 addresses a broad range of environmental problems including toxic and hazardous substances, poor sanitation and waste management, air pollution and health care waste.
On the other hand, relevant legal instruments are Constitution of Lesotho, 1993, Environment Act, 2008, Local Government Act, 2007, Hazardous Health Care Waste Management Regulations, 2012, to mention a few.
Lesotho is also a party to several multilateral environmental agreements which address waste management issues as reflected in the Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm, Minamata and Bamako Conventions.
Furthermore, the country has adopted some approaches that aim to manage waste effectively, among others, the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan (ISWMP) for Maseru city was developed in 2007.
The initiative came as a result of the growing problems associated with solid waste management in the city.
The plan was developed with the help of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to address problems associated with waste management by recommending effective waste management methods with the view of protecting human health and the environment.
