By Ezaruku Draku Franklin

draku@africaplanetwatch.org

KAMPALA – Environmentalists have asked the plastic manufacturers to take responsibilities for single use plastics that is threatening the ecosystem of Uganda with constant pollution.

They say the world is facing deadly effects of the triple planetary crises including the climate emergency, and rampant pollution from decades of unsustainable production, irresponsible consumption, and insufficient waste disposal.

While launching the earth hour on Wednesday at Kiswa Primary School at Bugolobi, the environmentalists asked the Parliament to enact a law that will cause businesses packing their products in single use plastics to be directly responsible for their litter.

They singled out beverage companies which they said “must change their packaging to reusable bottles to reduce the amount of plastic waste entering the environment.”

Earth Hour, organized by WWF, is a global grassroots movement uniting people to take action on environmental issues and protect the planet. Engaging a massive mainstream community, Earth Hour was famously started as a lights out event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then, it has grown to engage millions of supporters in more than 185 countries and territories, inspiring individuals and organizations worldwide to take action for the environment, and driving major legislative changes by harnessing the power of the crowd. As the movement grows, the one-hour lights out event continues to be the symbol of a broader commitment toward nature and our planet.

This year, the focus is on addressing the plastics challenge. It is therefore critical to focus on the importance of all water bodies – lakes, rivers, wetlands, and ultimately, the ocean – that suffer from the negative impacts of both plastic, and other types of pollution.

Celebrated under the theme “shape our future’ by re-thinking plastics,” David Duli, the WWF Country Director said while they recognize government efforts to ban single use plastics, more efforts must be put to strengthen the enforcement of the ban in Uganda. He said different stakeholders have launched a campaign to develop awareness and conviction among Ugandans and other global citizens to adopt more sustainable alternatives.

“To achieve this objective, we call for all stakeholders to spread messages regarding the dangers of plastics. We also call upon the private sector to strengthen the process of recycling including turning plastics waste into other products that do not disrupt the environment. Provision of alternatives will also be critical for adopting the desired change,” he said.

Duli said while the future belongs to the young people, the adults have a role to work very closely with the younger generation to attain a No plastic in nature future.

“Let us shape this future! It might only be one hour, but such a collective effort will no doubt cause ripple effects in our efforts towards a nature-positive future. Without action, the world will see $10 trillion wiped off the global economy over the next 30 years, with developing countries and regions particularly affected. It’s time to act now. Nature is our green gold, and it is everyone’s business,” Duli said.

The situation

He said human beings have continued to harm nature through irresponsible practices such as the indiscriminate use of plastics and the reckless disposal of plastic waste, which is one of the major causes of environmental degradation in the world today.

Statistics from the National Environment Management Authority and other conservation bodies indicated that at least 600 tons of plastics are consumed every day in Uganda and most of them are disposed off irresponsibly. More than half of these are used and disposed of in and around Kampala and at least 51% of plastic garbage in the city is left uncollected.

Plastic waste is the major cause of clogging sewage systems in the city and partly explains the flooding in urban centers during rainy seasons. At the same time, the plastic waste ends up in wetlands, lakes and rivers.

A study conducted on Lake Victoria reveals that 20% of Nile Perch and Tilapia have micro-plastics in their gut. This is a result of the decomposing and ever-increasing plastic litter in water bodies.

While globally, only 9% of plastic is recycled in most countries, in Uganda less than 5% of plastic is recycled yet it can take over 450 years to decompose completely.

“As we commemorate Earth Hour 22, WWF, NEMA, the Scouts and other agencies are now launching the Re-think plastics campaign aimed at reversing these statistics and shaping a future that will see no plastic in nature. We call on the Parliament of Uganda to enact a Law that will cause businesses packing their products in single use plastics to be directly responsible for their litter. We also call upon beverage companies to change their packaging to reusable bottles to reduce the amount of plastic waste entering the environment, a joint communique signed by different conservation bodies says.

General Katumba Wamala, the Patron of Uganda Scouts Association who also represented the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Anita Among as the chief guest, asked cooperate companies and other organizations to sign a pledge to reduce plastic waste that are dumped across the country.

“Beating plastic pollution and transmitting to sustainable waste management practices requires a strong enabling environment involving all stakeholders including policymakers, informal and formal waste and resource management actors as well as civil organizations,” Gen Katumba Wamala said, urging Ugandans to take serious actions on consecrating nature because future can’t be secured in a distorted environment.

Gen Katumba said parliament will take decisive action to ensure that businesses that use single plastics take full responsibilities for their disposals.

“As Parliament, we are going to do our best to ensure that we have a legislation that will cause all businesses producing products in single use plastic are responsible for their plastic litter,” he said.

He said the scouts’ movement in Uganda will engage in concerted campaigns to rally Ugandans to take action on plastic pollution.

“To secure the future of humanity, urgent decisive, global actions to bend the curve on devastating nature loss should be in place. The scouts movement in Uganda and globally is therefore partnering with WWF and all government agencies to rally Ugandans to take action and save our environment,” he said.