‘Lift ban on reused plastic bottles’

Aug 07, 2007

KAMPALA vendors want the ban on reusing plastic bottles lifted. Recently, the health ministry asked the Uganda National Bureau of Standards to ban the reuse of plastic bottles because they are toxic.

By Yasin Kintu

KAMPALA vendors want the ban on reusing plastic bottles lifted. Recently, the health ministry asked the Uganda National Bureau of Standards to ban the reuse of plastic bottles because they are toxic.

The director general of health services, Dr. Sam Zaramba, said the ministry would follow up the matter until the bottles are banned.

The vendors accused the project manager of Plastic Recycling Industry, Alex Byarugaba, of spearheading the ban of the bottles.

“Byarugaba offered little pay for our bottles. He is avenging on our industry because we refused to transport the bottles to his factory in Nakawa,” a vendor said.

The vendors said he used to pay sh2,000 for a sack of the empty bottles.

“He wanted me to collect these bottles for him and take them as his worker but I refused because of his cheap payments.”

‘We prefer to sell the empty bottles to dealers in fruit juice, millet porridge (Bushera), medicinal herbs and local brew because they offer higher prices,” Madiina Nakibuuka said.

“The Government is creating unemployment, yet it is the one which will detain us in prison for being idle and disorderly.”

“Why does the Government accuse us? We re-wash the empties with boiled water to eliminate the germs and sell them to others. Our hygiene is good. Where do they think we are to get a penny?” asked Ronald Ssenyonjo, a dealer in reused plastic bottles.

We buy a bag at a wholesale price of sh12,000. There are those who want to fail us. Even last time, they came here and wanted us to sell them these bottles but we refused because of the little pay, ” Nakibuuka stressed.

Another vendor, Johnson Opio, said no person had died and a cholera outbreak had never been detected.

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