Nabbanja wants garbage law formulated  at household level

Prime Minister Nabbanja Robinah has tasked the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) executive director, Sharifah Buzeki in collaboration with the solicitor general to formulate a law that will help the country to manage garbage right from household level.

The premier is proposing that each household should have skips indicating organic, plastics, glass and metal so that it is easier for the garbage collectors to distinguish and manage it very well.

Nabbanja was Thursday (February 27) meeting a delegation from the United Arab Emirates in the state of Sharjah at her office in Kampala as a follow-up of her visit to Dubai recently.

The delegation was led by Dr. Puneet Sarna, the senior director operational Beeah Group that manages garbage in Saljah.

Uganda has been grappling with the challenge of garbage management in all the 10 cities in the country due to the nature of the waste which is organic.

“Our garbage is mainly organic because of the food we eat and so it is easy to manage when we get partners like BEEAH who will turn it into fertilizers for our gardens.

We want to come up with a permanent solution to garbage management in the country starting with Kampala. The garbage shall be turned into fertilizers and other products instead of having garbage as a challenge,” said Nabbanja according to a release from her office.

She said that Ugandan garbage is majorly organic which is a bit challenging to manage.

The Prime minister recalled that during her working visit to Limin in Italy, she discovered that households have the responsibility of sorting garbage and failure to do so are liable to a fine.

“It is simple when the law comes in place and you fail to comply you will be penalized,” said Nabbanja.

In the case of Italy the "Environmental Code" (Decreto Legislativo 152/2006),  the primary law governing garbage management outlines the fundamental principles and requirements for waste management activities. 

These include: strict regulations on landfilling, emphasis on recycling, and penalties for illegal dumping, aiming to protect the environment and public health; this law also establishes the "polluter pays" principle and prioritizes waste prevention, reuse, and recycling over disposal.

Kampala city generates over 2,500 tons of garbage daily.

Prior to the Kiteezi fatal incident last August, about 170 trucks would transport waste to landfill each day.

With the landfill decommissioned, KCCA for several months remained stranded with litter dumped around the city, suburbs and parts of Wakiso. 

The Premier's office reports that Nabanjja expressed her optimism that now Uganda has gotten the rightful partners to manage garbage.

At the same gathering, Buzeki said that so far the engagements held clearly show that the waste management challenge shall be addressed.

“We have had several engagements and there is hope that when the project kicks off, the challenge of garbage will be addressed once and for all,” said Buzeki.

Robert Mukiza, the director general Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) says that they have held several engagements with the visiting delegation in regard to other investment opportunities in the country.

Dr. Puneet Sarna, the Senior Director Operational from BEEAH Group says that they have had good engagements with stakeholders and will brief the directors back home as soon as possible.

The BEEAH Group is a public-private partnership that works to create a sustainable future by developing and implementing innovative technologies and solutions.

In the field of waste management, BEEAH offers waste collection, tracking, sorting, and street cleaning services. They also have a metal recycling centre that shreds old cars and other metal scrap.