Toxic gap

Malawi’s growing e-waste problem is exposing gaps in regulation, enforcement and recycling capacity, with government and environmental experts warning that unclear responsibilities could leave communities and the State bearing the cost.

Malawi Environmental Protection Authority (Mepa) information and education manager Aubren Chirwa said the absence of extended producer responsibility (EPR), limited collection and recycling targets, and weak coordination among regulatory institutions remain major weaknesses in the country’s e-waste management system.

In a WhatsApp response last week, Chirwa said Malawi also lacks a precise national estimate of annual e-waste generation, while significant amounts are informally recycled or dumped at waste collection points and open sites.

Says problem is beyond legislation: Kamchedzera

He said Mepa alone cannot adequately regulate imports of second-hand electronics because existing laws do not clearly prohibit or control them, and called for stronger coordination among Mepa, the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) and the Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera).

Chirwa’s concerns come as Mepa steps up public discussion on environmental and health risks posed by growing volumes of electronic waste.

During a recent engagement with the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Climate Change on the findings of a 2026 National State of the Environment and Outlook Report, among other issues, Mepa highlighted the public health risks associated with surging e-waste.

The Ministry of Finance, in its 2025 Annual Economic Report, says rising demand for electrical and electronic equipment among households, businesses and the public sector is resulting in electronic waste being discarded “in large quantities at an increasing rate”, posing environmental and health risks.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which supported Malawi’s e-waste policy development, has similarly identified e-waste as a rapidly growing waste stream and warned of the risks posed by improper disposal, particularly at open dumpsites.

Malawi’s Environment Management Act, 2017 provides a legal foundation for regulating waste and hazardous materials, but the country still lacks a comprehensive regulatory system specifically governing electronic waste across its lifecycle.

The Government’s National E-waste Management Policy, launched in 2024, acknowledges the gap and calls for specific regulations, standards, stronger institutional coordination and an extended producer responsibility framework covering manufacturers, importers and resellers.

Environmental law expert Sungeni Mkwanda said, in a WhatsApp response last week, that the existing law provides a foundation for regulating e-waste but does not clearly connect all actors across the electronic-waste chain.

The key weakness, she said, is the absence of clearly defined responsibilities for manufacturers, importers, retailers, consumers and waste operators, including obligations for collection, reporting, recycling and safe disposal.

“It is the absence of a sufficiently detailed legal chain connecting the different actors in the e-waste lifecycle,” she said.

Environmental law practitioner Tracy Kalima said the gap has practical consequences because manufacturers, importers and retailers have no clear take-back or financing obligations, while consumers have limited options for disposing of unwanted electronics.

“Consumers have only a nominal duty with nowhere to take their waste. The only actors with clear duties are licensed waste operators,” said Kalima in an interview.

He said unclear responsibilities can also make enforcement difficult and leave government and communities bearing clean-up costs.

Waste and Innovation Hub Limited chief lead consultant Moses Kamchedzera said the problem extends beyond legislation to Malawi’s limited capacity to safely process some electronic components.

Some materials require specialised recycling technologies that are limited or unavailable locally, he said, meaning materials that cannot be processed in Malawi may require specialised treatment or export.

Kamchedzera said clearer rules on classification, collection, producer responsibility, recycling targets, hazardous-component treatment and the handling of materials that cannot be processed locally would give recyclers greater certainty and encourage investment.

WIH handles more than two tonnes of e-waste a month, mainly from companies and institutions replacing or disposing of old and damaged equipment.

The government’s e-waste policy seeks to address these weaknesses by establishing a framework covering the waste lifecycle and defining the responsibilities of different actors.

Its proposed EPR system would place greater responsibility on manufacturers, importers and resellers for products at the end of their useful lives.

The challenge now is implementation—turning the policy into enforceable rules, clear responsibilities, adequately funded collection systems and sufficient recycling capacity before Malawi’s growing e-waste problem outpaces the system designed to manage it.

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