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Tendai Gukutikwa Manicaland Bureau
FAST food outlets and supermarkets in Mutare have switched to alternative plastic food packaging following Government’s ban of polystyrene material (kaylites) blamed for causing pollution and health problems.

A short survey by The Herald in the town yesterday revealed that most supermarkets and food outlets have already dumped the kaylite for new packaging.

Businesses that continue using kaylites face a $5 000 fine or risk having owners or management sentenced to one year in prison. Spar Mutare general manager Mr Houston Munyoro said his supermarket had already dumped the kaylite and was using the latest form of packaging.

He said they had only faced a few challenges to do with their stocks when they first moved from using the hazardous packaging material.

“We have since started using other alternative means of packaging, which are among the recommended ones by Government. The few issues that we faced during the transition from kaylites to the new packaging have since vanished and it is now business as usual. It was a minor setback, which we got over quickly,” said Mr Munyoro.

He said the environment was an important part of their social responsibility as a supermarket. Mutare residents also welcomed the ban on kaylite packaging.

A shopper, Ms Gladys Nekete, said: “Besides them being friendly to the environment, they also seem neat. And for them to be recyclable says a lot, which gives guarantees that they do not pose a danger to our health and environment.”

Government in July banned the use of polystyrene material and related plastic packaging citing health hazards and pollution.