Ban manufacture of polythene bags in Uganda

By John Vianney Ahumuza

Recently, Uganda re-echoed its commitment to modernisation of agriculture in view of realising Vision 2040. The sector currently employs more than 68% of our population and is Uganda’s pillar of hope as a food basket of the great lakes region.

However, this position will be at stake, if the Government does not urgently ban the use of polythene bags (Buvera) by providing other less pollutant alternative bags for our growing population estimated at about 34.9million in 2014.

The history of polythene dates back to 1880’s.The first laboratory creation of polythene occurred in 1898 by accident at the hands of Hans von Pechmann while applying heat to another compound the German chemist previously discovered. Recently, it is evident across the country that these light bags have become a menace as major soil pollutants in all corners of the country.

Trading centres, road sides, homes and gardens have continued to be the negative beneficiaries of this disaster to agriculture. Despite the fact that they are cheap as well as light, they are hazardous in the following ways;

•    The fact that they are non-biodegradable makes them hard to dispose and as a result, they can act as breeding places for many of the disease germs which, sooner than later, cause an epidemic in the environment.

•    The fact that they are very light also makes it very easy for them to be blown from place to place and as a result, the unending littering of the environment.

•    Some of these bags have been used by a number of ignorant or careless people as mobile toilets considering their light nature, especially in slum areas. These mobile toilets are then carelessly thrown away to unknown areas, which also make work of the concerned parties rather hard.


•    These polythene bags have over time been proven to be environmentally unfriendly considering the time taken for their decomposition. As a result of this time spun, they can cause further problems like blocking water penetration into the soil which in turn affects food growth and development. A case in point is the drainage near the water treatment plant on the northern bypass. That is decorated with floating polythene of all shapes!

Polythenes are, therefore, the most outstanding of all the waste in the homes and are hard to dispose of. The country should be saved from this looming national catastrophe.

The previous attempt by industries to manufacture polythene made out of wood that would decompose was a great idea and should be taken on once and for all. Consider how polluted Uganda will be in the next 50 years, if we continue at this pace of the polythene bag dilemma!

The ever increasing population means high demand for food sources which we must guard jealously.  Responsible ministries and our parliament should urgently consider this challenge and address it head on. Let us all be stewards of the environment.

The writer is a lecturer at the Uganda Christian University,Mukono