Plastic waste poses insidious threat to environment

Uganda joined the rest of the world to commemorate World Environment Day under the theme “United Against Plastic Pollution.”

The national celebrations were held in Kabale district at Kigezi High School Primary Playground on the June 25, 2025. The theme highlights the country’s efforts to combat plastic waste and emphasises the need to phase out single-use plastics, which are a major environmental concern in Uganda.

In the lush landscapes of savannah grasslands and wetlands, the insidious life of plastic waste has left the city in ruin and the largest natural lake in Africa, Victoria continues to choke on plastic waste.

Fish, vital for both nutrition and export, ingest microplastics, initiating a toxic chain reaction that ends on the dinner plates of millions. In rural areas, plastics suffocate the arable agricultural land by leaching toxins into the soil and entangle livestock.

Plastic pollution remains one of Uganda’s most urgent environmental issues causing severe environmental and health challenges. Rivers like Rwizi and the Kagera system are clogged with bottles and sachets, impairing water flow and quality for millions of persons.

Lake Victoria is heavily polluted, with plastic debris blanketing breeding swamps, tangling fish nets, and harming aquatic wildlife. Trash buried in farmland obstructs irrigation and root development, reducing yields.

Microplastics resulting from the breakdown of polythene are contaminating farmland, posing risks to soil health, crop physiology, and potentially transferring to humans via food. Plastic waste creates mosquito breeding grounds with one bottle alone able to hold up to 150 mosquito larvae, worsening malaria spread.

Burning plastic emits toxic pollutants affecting respiratory health. Blocked waterways lead to flooding and waterborne diseases. Livestock and wildlife suffer as cattle ingest plastic, causing illness or death, and aquatic species ingest or become entangled in plastic waste.

It is estimated that Uganda generates 600 tonnes of plastic daily, equivalent to 150 tonnes produced in Kampala alone. Unfortunately, only 40 % of urban plastic waste is collected.

On average, Uganda’s plastic waste recycling is at 10%, meaning the rest is directly burnt into the atmosphere, dumped illegally in lakes, rivers, drainage channels or rather left to accumulate in the environment affecting soils and other ecosystems.

The National Environment Management Act identifies several systemic issues contributing to plastic waste pollution: weak regulations, poor enforcement, and widespread use of single-use plastics like bags, bottles, and packaging.

Additionally, inadequate recycling infrastructure exacerbates the accumulation of plastics in landfills and the environment. The statistics above highlight the pressing need for comprehensive policy reforms and a shift away from environmentally harmful waste practices like landfilling—known for groundwater contamination, methane emissions, and centuries-long aftercare.

Instead, Uganda should prioritize a waste hierarchy that emphasizes prevention, reuse, and recycling—such as composting its substantial organic waste—before turning to recovery and disposal. Uganda’s rapidly growing population, now approaching 45 million, increases demand, consumption, and waste generation, placing immense pressure on existing and yet weak waste management systems.

Traversing Uganda’s newly established cities, such as Masaka, Mbale, and Jinja shows significant challenges in waste management due to limited resources, outdated infrastructure, and rapid population growth.

This underscores the urgent need for alternative waste management strategies beyond traditional landfilling. Unfortunately, plastic pollution disproportionately impacts low-income and marginalised communities, often residing near production and disposal sites.

This exposure heightens their vulnerability to health risks and environmental degradation. Addressing plastic pollution is not only an environmental concern but also a matter of social justice, aiming to protect the health, dignity, and rights of historically excluded communities in environmental decision-making processes.

Uganda has imposed a partial ban on polythene (“kavera”) bags under 30 microns since 2007, with updates across the years but enforcement has been consistently weak—thicker bags remain widely used, contributing to severe plastic pollution.

Recognizing this failure, Nema is now pushing a comprehensive amendment to Nema that would prohibit all single-use plastic bags, regardless of thickness. Collective and urgent action is needed to reduce plastic waste, improve waste management, and protect public health and the environment.

We call on the government to strengthen and enforce robust policies curbing single- use plastics while promoting sustainable alternatives and extended producer responsibility.

The private sector should innovate biodegradable products, adopt circular-economy practices, and support plastic collection initiatives.

CSOs/NGOs must amplify community outreach, provide targeted waste-management training, and advocate for policy reforms aligned with best practices. Finally, citizens are invited to embrace the “3Rs”—reduce, reuse, recycle—by making sustainable daily choices.

The author is the Programme Manager Environmental Alert