Community in the Republic of the Congo Stops Noxious Battery Recycling Plant

In 2024, the Congolese Ministry of the Environment ordered the closure of an Indian-owned battery recycling plant in Pointe Noire due to pollution concerns. The plant had been poisoning the community around Vindoulou in the Pointe Noire region for many years.

Maître B.E. Moussounda represented plaintiff and community organizer Cyrille Traoré Ndembi through more than five years of legal battles against Metssa Congo, demanding the closure of its plant. 

“Many thanks to ELAW for collaborating with us since 2023 to help hold this company accountable,” says Me Moussounda. “We are pleased with this decision, which shows that communities can be victorious in battles against corporations trying to illegally operate polluting industries.”

Ndembi and his wife and children began experiencing health problems within a few months of moving to the area in 2019. When he discovered his neighbors were suffering from many of the same issues, he decided to form a collective to speak out against the abuses of the company.

After several unsuccessful attempts with local authorities, Ndembi, acting on behalf of the collective, established partnerships with national and international human rights and environmental organizations to get the case heard. 

ELAW Scientist Dr. Rye Howard says: “Ndembi’s family and many other residents had tests to determine the lead levels in their blood, and every person tested showed dangerous levels of lead. Ndembi’s young daughter’s test results showed the highest blood lead levels in his family – 53 micrograms of lead per deciliter – 10 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommendations for intervention; and even the lowest blood lead measured in a child was 40 μg/dl, eight times above the WHO’s limit, and twice as high as the level at which an American worker is recommended to be removed from the workplace.”

“This plant was operating for years in the middle of a residential neighborhood,” says Ndembi. “The chimneys belching black smoke and raining down lead dust are close to a school that 500 children attend. Thanks to the support of the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide, Amnesty International, and The Examination, as well as local human rights organizations, we won the order to close the plant. Now, the work to dismantle it is underway.”

Now, ELAW is collaborating with Me Moussounda and Ndembi to ensure that the company decommissions the plant properly and decontaminates the site. The community is also seeking compensation from the company for medical treatment. We will keep you informed of our progress.

Learn more about the background of this case and the impacts of the battery recycling industry’s growth in Africa at the following:

Amnesty International. August 8, 2024. Republic of Congo: Metssa Congo Recycling Plant Under Investigation Due to Health Risks Documented by Amnesty International

The Examination. April 23, 2024. Court suspends lead battery recycling plant in the Republic of Congo, citing lead poisoning

The Examination. December 4, 2023. Indian companies are bringing one of the world’s most polluting industries to Africa

France 24. June 6, 2023. ‘The air is unbreathable’: Congolese living near a foundry say they are being poisoned

Jennifer Castello
Attorney
Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide