How to manage garbage at home

GARBAGE     COLLECTION    HOME

Households collect garbage on a daily basis generated from different activities. However, it should be disposed of off properly to deter harmful outcomes.

According to Naomi Karekaho, the public relation officer of the National Environmental Authority (NEMA), it's a question of fully understanding waste, how it is generated and how best to dispose of it.

What to do
"A homeowner can choose not to have buveeras (polythene bags) in his or her home or give away all old plastic materials in the house to scrap collectors," she advises.

She adds that organic waste such as garden trimming, fool peels, and leftovers, can be re-used as manure in the garden.

However, before disposing of garbage, Karekaho advices homeowners to separate toxic waste like batteries, medicinal waste, and chemical spray cans and sharp objects like a razor blade and broken glasses from the rest of the waste.

Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) spokesperson, Peter Kaujju, also urges homeowners to properly dispose of their garbage.

He adds that there are garbage trucks moving around villages collecting garbage at a fee. So homeowners should endeavor to peel garbage in sacks, place it in one place until it is collected rather than littering.

"The fees range from sh 30,000 to sh50,000 depending on the collector, amount of the garbage and how often one it is collected," he says.

Garbage should be frequently disposed and kept dry to reduce rotting which causes a smell. He explains that it should also be carefully tied and kept inside the gate before it is collected to keep it away from dogs and plastic bottle collectors.

Kaujju also discourages the tendency of burning rubbish at home and dumping it in trenches because it pollutes the environment.

"Dumping garbage in the trench or burning is a case which can lead to imprisonment for not less than six months," he says.

Recycling garbage to reduce clutter    
Brenda Mbabaza Kibuka Musoke, a gardener in Buwaate, does not believe in throwing away unused items like kitchenware, jerry cans, plastic bottles and basins that can be used optimally by turning them into planters