Municipalities get recycling plants
Jul 13, 2009
NINE municipalities across the country have acquired waste management plants to recycle garbage.
By Francis Kagolo
NINE municipalities across the country have acquired waste management plants to recycle garbage.
Under the project, the town authorities will produce organic manure from the garbage which will then be sold to farmers to boost agricultural production.
The multi-million dollar project that is nearing completion was funded by a World Bank loan acquired through the National Environmental Management Authority.
The beneficiaries included Fort Portal, Jinja, Mbarara, Kasese, Kabale, Mukono, Mbale, Soroti and Lira municipalities. Each of the plant costs over sh400m.
Dr. Henry Aryamanya-Mugisha, the environment watchdog’s executive director, said recycling garbage was an effective move to curb environmental degradation in the country.
Besides producing manure and charcoal, the plants will also sort out polythene bags and metals from the rest of the garbage, which will also be recycled.
“These plants will sort out metals and kaveera (polythene) from the rest of the garbage. Each of these will be recycled. This will help preserve our soils and environment,†said Aryamanya.
He was recently touring one of the plants in Jinja with MPs on the natural resources committee.
Collection and disposal of garbage has been a menace in most towns due to the high costs involved. In most instances, it has taken authorities months to collect the garbage, causing a bad stench in several suburbs.
Plastics and other non-biodegradable waste have health and environmental impacts. Plastics block gutters and drains and suffocate the soil of oxygen and water.
However, with the recycling plants in place, such problems will be no more, according to MP Winfred Masiko, the chairperson of the committee.
NINE municipalities across the country have acquired waste management plants to recycle garbage.
Under the project, the town authorities will produce organic manure from the garbage which will then be sold to farmers to boost agricultural production.
The multi-million dollar project that is nearing completion was funded by a World Bank loan acquired through the National Environmental Management Authority.
The beneficiaries included Fort Portal, Jinja, Mbarara, Kasese, Kabale, Mukono, Mbale, Soroti and Lira municipalities. Each of the plant costs over sh400m.
Dr. Henry Aryamanya-Mugisha, the environment watchdog’s executive director, said recycling garbage was an effective move to curb environmental degradation in the country.
Besides producing manure and charcoal, the plants will also sort out polythene bags and metals from the rest of the garbage, which will also be recycled.
“These plants will sort out metals and kaveera (polythene) from the rest of the garbage. Each of these will be recycled. This will help preserve our soils and environment,†said Aryamanya.
He was recently touring one of the plants in Jinja with MPs on the natural resources committee.
Collection and disposal of garbage has been a menace in most towns due to the high costs involved. In most instances, it has taken authorities months to collect the garbage, causing a bad stench in several suburbs.
Plastics and other non-biodegradable waste have health and environmental impacts. Plastics block gutters and drains and suffocate the soil of oxygen and water.
However, with the recycling plants in place, such problems will be no more, according to MP Winfred Masiko, the chairperson of the committee.