By Gerald Tenywa

A new company has invested $1m (about sh1.8) to recycle plastic bottles in the city.

“Companies that earned a bad reputation of littering the environment with waste have a way of overcoming it. We have started recycling the bottles and we need their waste as raw material,’’ said Alex Byaruhanga, the manager of plastic recycling industries.

He said companies that were eager to shake off their reputation as the biggest sources of plastic bottles that litter the city, had established a working relationship with the recyclers.

Byaruhanga cited Rwenzori, which sells mineral water in plastic bottles. “The empty bottles are discarded carelessly and end up blocking water channels and causing floods,’’ he said.

The bulk of the plastic waste is produced by Mukwano Industries, which makes products like soap and packs them in plastics.

Prior to the introduction of the company, studies were undertaken and revealed that about 30 tonnes of plastic waste is generated in Kampala every day.
However, the company can only deal with half of the plastic waste generated, said Byaruhanga.

He said part of the money was a grant from the Netherlands government. He pointed out that the company intends to employ 40 people directly and thousands who will act as waste collectors.