Since the 1950s, both in Uganda and globally, there has been a massive increase in plastic production and consumption nationally and globally, which is set to triple by 2060 if business continues as usual. Plastic production is associated with the use of chemical additives, many of which are harmful to human health and the environment. Plastic pollution causes lethal and sub-lethal effects on a wide range of organisms in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems.
In this regard, Uganda commissioned a study with support from UNEP, which established that Uganda
produced 12,330 tons of recycled polyethylene (rPET) between 2018 and 2021. Conservative estimates
predicted a 91% increase in production from 2022 to 2025, while keeping importation constant throughout the period. The quantities of recycled material were found to have been decreasing, leading
to an increase in plastic waste in the environment. It was further noted that 135,804 tons of plastic waste
were generated in the Kampala Metropolitan Area alone. The uncollected waste constituted 42% of the
total, followed by that collected through the value chain (15%) and that collected by service providers
(43%). Of the uncollected, 10% ended up in water systems.
In response to the unsustainable consumption of plastics globally, an International Negotiating
Committee (INC) was convened in Uruguay to develop a globally binding instrument on plastics. The
meeting was partly informed by the development of national action plans (NAPs) and strategies to
generate a national baseline of plastics knowledge. In Uganda, data and information were gathered
from households, institutions, manufacturers, recyclers, formal and informal sorting agents, local
governments, and local council chairpersons.
Further, the study was conducted through an extensive literature review from international and national
sources and expert contributions, complemented by consultations with stakeholder groups across the
plastics value chain, such as regulators, producers, and distributors, among others. Relevant documents
in relation to laws, policies, regulations, and strategies were obtained and reviewed to assess the extent
to which waste management, and in particular, the management of plastic waste on land and in aquatic
systems, was addressed. The Study informed development of this National Strategy to address the
challenge at hand. The Strategy aims at changing behavior in plastic waste management, reduction
of plastic waste, creation of incentives to reduce plastic waste, enhancing the sorting, collection, and
recycling of plastic material and improved monitoring of plastic waste.
I would like to appreciate all the Ministries, Departments, Agencies, Urban Authorities, Local
Governments, Private Sector, Civil Society and Academia for their valuable contribution towards the
formulation of this Strategy. Special thanks goes to UNEP, for financially supporting the process and the
Secretariat Team at NEMA for steering the process.
NEMA Board Visits EACOP Sites in Uganda
March 26, 2024