Plastic waste disposal: Do policy makers have a case?
Jan 25, 2009
THE Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) has asked MPs to either wave the tax on plastic bags or reduce it like Kenya has done. UMA argues that if these industries are closed, the country will lose employment and revenue.
THE Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) has asked MPs to either wave the tax on plastic bags or reduce it like Kenya has done. UMA argues that if these industries are closed, the country will lose employment and revenue. Gerald Tenywa talked to eminent environmental activists and politicians about their agenda to curb the menacing plastic bags.
Bashir Twesigye sits in his office located in Bukoto, a plush suburb of Kampala having a cup of tea, but somethingseems to weigh heavily on his mind. When he looks outside the window, he does not like what he sees. Thousands of plastic bags (commonly known as buveera ) litter the neat landscape and some of them are hanging on trees.
“It is more or less a necessary evil,†Twesigye told The New Vision. “Many people use buveera not because they like it, but out of necessity.â€
As he goes home, he finds alot of plastic strewn all over the place. In the heavily populated areas such as Nsooba-Kalerwe, the plastic has replaced the grass in the play ground.
In addition to being a nuisance, plastic bags are blamed for causing environmental hazards. They clog drainage channels, particularly in the urban areas, causing floods that are now synonymous with the rainy seasons.
In the rural areas where agricultural productivity is on the decline because of rampant soil erosion, the plastics, which block water filtration in the soil, are a menace.
The plastics deprive organisms of moisture and because of this, micro-organisms that play vital roles in nourishing the soil cannot easily survive.
Political will
Eminent environmental lawyers like Twesigye agree that to save the environment, the manufacture and use of plastics should be banned:
“Unfortunately, the political will to ban plastic bags is lacking,†he says.
Part of the solution, Twesigye points out, is to carry out massive awareness campaigns, especially in the countryside areas where plastic bags are still popular.
Unknowingly, some people have resorted to the dangerous habit of burning plastics as a way of getting rid of them or lighting charcoal stoves. “Burning of plastics releases dangerous gases that cause infertility and cancer,†says Dr. David Ogaram, a commissioner in the Ministry of Labour, Gender and Social affairs.
He was speaking recently during an
international meeting organised by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) in Kampala.
The meeting discussed handling of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Dioxins and furans, which are released by burning waste, are grouped as POPs also referred to as “the dirty dozens.â€
Under the new measures introduced two years ago, the Government outlawed production and use of plastics of 30 microns and below. It also set a tax of 120% on the production of the plastic bags of above 30 microns.
This was done on the premise that the plastics would become expensive and encourage the public to re-use them.
However, the plastics are still affordable and accessible to most shoppers.
According to a survey conducted by The New Vision, the colourless plastics are given free to the shoppers in most of the markets,.
Kenya backtracking on measures, local investors demand same treatment
Kenya last month reduced the banned plastics from 30 microns to 20 for domestic consumption. It reduced plastics for export to 10 microns. Also reduced were taxes from 120% to 50%.
Consequently, Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) is appealing to MPs to take Kenya’s position. “We are appealing to MPs to either waive the tax or reduce it like Kenya has done,†says Gideon Badagawa, the UMA executive director.
“If these firms are closed, it is our people employed by those companies who will lose employment while the Government, will lose other taxes including value added tax, pay as you earn income and corporate taxes.â€
Dr. Gerald Sawula Musoke, the deputy head of NEMA, says Tanzania has also followed the example of Kenya by relaxing the partial ban on plastic bags.
“We need to get the political background why Kenya has gone against the common position,†he says.
However, Musoke maintains that there is a drive within the Government to impose a total ban similar to the one in Rwanda. He says the ban imposed on 30 microns was the initial step and that this was supposed to be followed by a total ban.
Civil society prepares fresh advocacy campaign
The drawback on banning plastics has taken environmental lobby groups back to the drawing board. “We have been let down by the policy makers, probably because they do not appreciate the cost of littering the environment with plastic bags,†says Onesmus Mugyenyi, the acting executive head of Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE).
He says their initial assault on the Government as civil society was when Green Watch, a local NGO took NEMA to Court. He says Court pointed out that plastics were dangerous to the environment and that NEMA was not doing enough to curb the problem. “We thought this would provide an incentive for NEMA to provide solutions,†he says. “But it was not the case.â€
ACODE realised that the solution was beyond NEMA and started engaging the Natural Resources Committee of Parliament. “We had worked out a background paper for the Natural Resources Committee of Parliament to understand the extent of the problem and to come up with a private members bill,†says Mugyenyi.
He says one of the barriers is that the leadership of the committee has changed, but the issue is going to be revived. “We want to follow up the issue,†he says. “How come that up to this time there is no bill?â€
Winnie Masiko, the chairperson Natural Resources Committee, says momentum was lost on buveera when a partial ban was imposed and the Government said it was engaging in a regional consultation.
“I’ve not had any communication from civil society concerning the problem of plastic bags,†she says.
Meanwhile, Henry Banyenzaki (Rubanda West MP) blames the state minister of environment, Jessica Eriyo, for the existence of buveera, adding that she would leave a legacy of a degraded environment.
“We moved a motion recommending a ban on plastic bags and it was unanimously supported, but the executive did not respond to the call,†he says.
Banyenzaki says countries like Rwanda and Zanzibar have set good examples by putting a total ban on plastics: “Instead of following what they are doing, the Government is doing the opposite,†he adds.
ACODE is intending to ask the environment minister for an explanation on what is happening because she promised to come up with a bill in two months sometime back.
“We also intend to mobilise the population for expression to the policy makers that buveera is a danger to the environment and no action is being taken to save it,†he says.
Mugyenyi and Twesigye’s crusade gives hope to millions of people that a right to a clean and healthy environment will not just remain a slogan.
Bashir Twesigye sits in his office located in Bukoto, a plush suburb of Kampala having a cup of tea, but somethingseems to weigh heavily on his mind. When he looks outside the window, he does not like what he sees. Thousands of plastic bags (commonly known as buveera ) litter the neat landscape and some of them are hanging on trees.
“It is more or less a necessary evil,†Twesigye told The New Vision. “Many people use buveera not because they like it, but out of necessity.â€
As he goes home, he finds alot of plastic strewn all over the place. In the heavily populated areas such as Nsooba-Kalerwe, the plastic has replaced the grass in the play ground.
In addition to being a nuisance, plastic bags are blamed for causing environmental hazards. They clog drainage channels, particularly in the urban areas, causing floods that are now synonymous with the rainy seasons.
In the rural areas where agricultural productivity is on the decline because of rampant soil erosion, the plastics, which block water filtration in the soil, are a menace.
The plastics deprive organisms of moisture and because of this, micro-organisms that play vital roles in nourishing the soil cannot easily survive.
Political will
Eminent environmental lawyers like Twesigye agree that to save the environment, the manufacture and use of plastics should be banned:
“Unfortunately, the political will to ban plastic bags is lacking,†he says.
Part of the solution, Twesigye points out, is to carry out massive awareness campaigns, especially in the countryside areas where plastic bags are still popular.
Unknowingly, some people have resorted to the dangerous habit of burning plastics as a way of getting rid of them or lighting charcoal stoves. “Burning of plastics releases dangerous gases that cause infertility and cancer,†says Dr. David Ogaram, a commissioner in the Ministry of Labour, Gender and Social affairs.
He was speaking recently during an
international meeting organised by the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) in Kampala.
The meeting discussed handling of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Dioxins and furans, which are released by burning waste, are grouped as POPs also referred to as “the dirty dozens.â€
Under the new measures introduced two years ago, the Government outlawed production and use of plastics of 30 microns and below. It also set a tax of 120% on the production of the plastic bags of above 30 microns.
This was done on the premise that the plastics would become expensive and encourage the public to re-use them.
However, the plastics are still affordable and accessible to most shoppers.
According to a survey conducted by The New Vision, the colourless plastics are given free to the shoppers in most of the markets,.
Kenya backtracking on measures, local investors demand same treatment
Kenya last month reduced the banned plastics from 30 microns to 20 for domestic consumption. It reduced plastics for export to 10 microns. Also reduced were taxes from 120% to 50%.
Consequently, Uganda Manufacturers Association (UMA) is appealing to MPs to take Kenya’s position. “We are appealing to MPs to either waive the tax or reduce it like Kenya has done,†says Gideon Badagawa, the UMA executive director.
“If these firms are closed, it is our people employed by those companies who will lose employment while the Government, will lose other taxes including value added tax, pay as you earn income and corporate taxes.â€
Dr. Gerald Sawula Musoke, the deputy head of NEMA, says Tanzania has also followed the example of Kenya by relaxing the partial ban on plastic bags.
“We need to get the political background why Kenya has gone against the common position,†he says.
However, Musoke maintains that there is a drive within the Government to impose a total ban similar to the one in Rwanda. He says the ban imposed on 30 microns was the initial step and that this was supposed to be followed by a total ban.
Civil society prepares fresh advocacy campaign
The drawback on banning plastics has taken environmental lobby groups back to the drawing board. “We have been let down by the policy makers, probably because they do not appreciate the cost of littering the environment with plastic bags,†says Onesmus Mugyenyi, the acting executive head of Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE).
He says their initial assault on the Government as civil society was when Green Watch, a local NGO took NEMA to Court. He says Court pointed out that plastics were dangerous to the environment and that NEMA was not doing enough to curb the problem. “We thought this would provide an incentive for NEMA to provide solutions,†he says. “But it was not the case.â€
ACODE realised that the solution was beyond NEMA and started engaging the Natural Resources Committee of Parliament. “We had worked out a background paper for the Natural Resources Committee of Parliament to understand the extent of the problem and to come up with a private members bill,†says Mugyenyi.
He says one of the barriers is that the leadership of the committee has changed, but the issue is going to be revived. “We want to follow up the issue,†he says. “How come that up to this time there is no bill?â€
Winnie Masiko, the chairperson Natural Resources Committee, says momentum was lost on buveera when a partial ban was imposed and the Government said it was engaging in a regional consultation.
“I’ve not had any communication from civil society concerning the problem of plastic bags,†she says.
Meanwhile, Henry Banyenzaki (Rubanda West MP) blames the state minister of environment, Jessica Eriyo, for the existence of buveera, adding that she would leave a legacy of a degraded environment.
“We moved a motion recommending a ban on plastic bags and it was unanimously supported, but the executive did not respond to the call,†he says.
Banyenzaki says countries like Rwanda and Zanzibar have set good examples by putting a total ban on plastics: “Instead of following what they are doing, the Government is doing the opposite,†he adds.
ACODE is intending to ask the environment minister for an explanation on what is happening because she promised to come up with a bill in two months sometime back.
“We also intend to mobilise the population for expression to the policy makers that buveera is a danger to the environment and no action is being taken to save it,†he says.
Mugyenyi and Twesigye’s crusade gives hope to millions of people that a right to a clean and healthy environment will not just remain a slogan.