Dianah Nampijja

Plastic bags in Uganda.

‘A threat to Human Health and the Environment.

Plastic Bags; Global perspective

Civilization has reached a global stage due to

globalization with changes witnessed politically,

socially, environmentally, military and economically

Currently, the world consumes 500 billion plastic

bags every year

No national government has banned the outright

distribution of plastic bags but several governments

have banned plastic bags under a certain thickness

in addition to adopting other disincentive programs

Plastic carrier bags; Meaning

A polymer carry bag provided or

utilized at the retail point of sale

for carrying and transporting

retail goods.

'plastic carrier bag' refers to

the high density

polyethylene (HDPE) bags

offered at the retail point of

sale and used for

transporting other products

and merchandise.

Low Density Polyethylene –

the small transparent bags

Plastic Carrier Bags in Uganda

80-90 percent of plastic bags are imported

(UMA Business unit, 2008).

Approximately 30 plastic bags firms

Importations/smuggling from neighboring

countries like Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda

Continuous bickering among government

departments and politicians in Uganda as

failed the process

The Economic Significance of Plastic Carrier Bags

The Kaveera economy and Country’s

Revenue

Employment Opportunities

Kaveera and Agriculture

Food and Plastic carrier bags

The Kaveera and House hold shopping

The Kaveera and Other Activities

Human Health and the Carrier Bags

When burnt, they create dioxin like poisonous materials which cause cancer, skin diseases, endocrinal damage, hormone disruption, hypertension and diabetes, and affect human fertility

The cadmium used in plastic manufacturing is toxic and all meat and fish packed in plastic and polyethylene generate heat causing radiation which makes food poisonous

Workers in the polyethylene factories are more exposed to cancers, skin diseases and other fatal problems

The kaveeras have also acted as habitats for bacteria and mosquitoes in that waste disposed in them allow for multiplication of bacteria; and yet, today, malaria is the leading cause of deaths in children and mothers in Uganda.

Environment Impacts Human Health and the Carrier Bags

Drainage Blockages

Human Health and the Carrier Bags

In the slums, kaveeras have been cited to be the main cause of cholera in Kampala city since people use them as mobile toilets.

Children are also affected in the process since they play with such bags and at the end, get accidents.

Plastic bags are known for clogging waterways and channels causing floods at least a dozens of people have died in city flood-related incidents since the rains started in November 2011

Carrier Bags and the Environment

Plastic bags can take between 15 and 1,000 years to

breakdown causing prolonged disintegration leading to

choking of the soils since they do not allow water to sink

through.

When plastic bags are exposed to water and sunlight there

is increasing likelihood that they will decompose and leach in

to the soil thereby affecting soil fertility.

60% of stray cattle in Uganda die due to consumption of

polythene bags

There are approximately 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in

each square mile of the world’s oceans and in some places

there’s more plastic than plankton

Carrier Bags and the Environment

Effect on the Country’s scenery. Not all litter is

deliberate. Up to 47% of wind borne litter is mainly

plastic bags and these end up in our towns, cities,

forests, grasslands, waterways, and oceans.

Unnecessary littering of the polythene bags on the

roadsides destroys the beautiful scenery as this makes

the environment very untidy and unpleasant to look at

Environment Impacts Plastics and the Green House Effect

Impact on Country’s Livestock and Aquatic life

Meeting the Economic Significance of Plastic Carrier Bags

without Negatively Impacting on the Environment

People and Plastic Carrier Bags

The Total Ban on Plastic Carrier Bags

Use of Biodegradable plastics bags

Adopting to the Alternatives

Encouraging Recycling Plants

Changing Peoples’ mindset

Producers/Manufacturers’ Responsibility

Streamlining a National Policy

NEMA Uganda; whose Responsibility?

NEMA is a policy regulating body and an

Authority in charge of making laws and

facilitating compliances under the Ministry of

Environment

NEMA works with sister Ministries and

Authorities

Continuous conflict of interests; the Ministry

of Environment and NEMA as well as the

Ministry of Finance

Its position on Microns was not respected

Way Forward

Need to balance the economic and environment interests

Strong political will and good leadership in the development of a national policy on the use and management of carrier bags

Educating and sensitizing the public about their lifestyles and negotiate alternatives.

○ The use of ESD/environment clubs in schools and higher institutions of learning

○ NGOs through their informal education campaigns by empowering communities on how they can use and manage plastic carrier bags

○ The media through their eco-programmes to avail information to the public

Way Forward Contu.

Operationalise and enforce the Polluter

Pays Principle (PPP) in NEA

Strong emphasis on the use of re-usable

materials like cloths, sisal, etc

Support and promote recycling

programmes through incentives giving.

Benchmarking other countries good

practices on the management of carrier

bags.

‘Everyone has a role to play;

play it’.

‘Before we set out to reform the world, we would do

well pause and see if we should reform ourselves…the inner limits which constrains

sustainable growth and development include limits associated with the way each of us thinks and behaves in both private and public contexts’…

(Laszlo 1989)

Thank You for your time and let the spirit of

sustainability prevail in all present today.

‘Remember to walk the talk’