Turning the Tide: Uganda launches ambitious waste management plan

UGANDA – The National Environment Authority (NEMA) in Uganda has unveiled an ambitious plan aimed at managing waste in urban areas across the country.

Dr. Barirega Akankwasah, the Executive Director of NEMA, revealed that the environment watchdog has initiated a sensitization campaign named ‘Yonja Uganda’.

This campaign, focused on anti-littering and waste management, aims to encourage citizens to adopt sustainable waste management practices in their daily lives.

The anti-litter and waste management campaign has already been conducted in several districts, including Kalungu, Masaka, Buikwe, Mbale, and Tororo.

Dr. Akankwasah emphasized that the program will be extended to other parts of the country throughout the year to raise awareness about littering and waste management issues in both urban and rural communities.

According to Dr. Akankwasah, waste management has become a significant challenge due to the lack of centralized data collection centers.

He stressed the importance of sorting waste at the generation point, whether it be at households, shops, factories, supermarkets, or industrial sites.

Proper waste sorting involves segregating plastics, organic waste, glass, and metals to facilitate recycling and reuse.

Dr. Akankwasah highlighted the potential of recycling waste materials, such as plastics, glass, and organic waste, to create jobs and generate revenue for communities.

He emphasized the need for proper sorting infrastructures at various generation and collection centers to effectively manage waste.

Furthermore, Dr. Akankwasah discussed new laws and measures being enforced by NEMA to hold major polluters accountable for their actions. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is one such measure, which shifts the burden of managing used packaging from the government to private industry.

Under EPR, companies that manufacture, import, or sell certain products are responsible for their products throughout their lifecycle, including disposal and recycling.

In Uganda, EPR was signed into legislation with the National Environment Act, 2019. As part of this initiative, leading players in Uganda’s beverages industry have joined forces to establish a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) to self-regulate post-consumer PET recycling.

The PRO will be responsible for recruiting recyclers, subsidizing recycling, developing new end-uses for recycled plastics, and promoting PET collection and recycling through consumer awareness.

The establishment of a PRO in Uganda signifies a significant step towards achieving a circular economy for PET plastic waste.

By introducing industry-driven initiatives and promoting environmental responsibility, Uganda aims to create a sustainable and circular economy for plastic waste management.

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