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Bunyoro Kitara Diocese has joined leaders in Hoima city in the fight against poor plastic waste disposal, which has become a menace to the environment.

Bishop Samuel Kahuma, speaking during a cleaning exercise hosted by the diocesan Mothers Union in Hoima city earlier this week, said concerted efforts were required to rid the city of plastic waste.

“Let every person look around their houses in this Holy Week and pick up plastics and polythene and dispose them off well,” he said.

Promote conservation 

Kahuma directed the Hoima city council to implement bylaws promoting conservation and environmental protection.

He said trash management and recycling of plastic garbage remain poor in Hoima, even though plastics pose a significant hazard to both individuals and the environment.

He also emphasised the importance of environmental conservation, such as safe plastic disposal and tree planting.

Kahuma said human activities frequently undermine and overexploit nature, resulting in forest degradation, pollution of critical water bodies, and destruction of valuable wetlands without adequately accounting for the associated consequences, which include biodiversity loss, famine, and limited access to safe water.

Sylvia Nalumaga, the Hoima city deputy mayor, chastised leaders for being obstinate while the environment is harmed by garbage, particularly now that the Hoima Booma grounds are polluted with plastic waste.

“We have challenges in managing plastics generated in Hoima city, and I am happy that the Church of Uganda is joining us in this fight,” he said.

Achilles Kiiza, the Hoima city council secretary for education and health, urged food vendors to properly dispose of polythene bags.

Most of the plastics in Hoima are generated by the food vendors and as a council, we are moving to regulate them,” she said.

Over 15 litter bins placed in strategic places on Hoima city’s streets were vandalised and sold as scrap. He said persistent vandalism of the bins hindered their efforts towards sustainable waste management.

According to city statistics, the solid waste generation rate in 2023 was between 200 and 300 tonnes per day. Food waste accounted for 34.6% of household garbage, with plastic, paper, and cardboard accounting for 23.9%, and textiles accounting for 7.8%.