Uganda generates approximately 600 metric tons of plastic waste daily which translates to about 800,000 metric tons of plastic waste annually. Of these, only about 40% is collected and disposed of properly, while the remaining 60% ends up in drainage systems and water bodies.
Kampala, Uganda: Legal and environmental experts have raised alarms over the rising threat of plastic pollution in Uganda, citing major gaps in the country’s legal framework and inconsistent enforcement of existing policies.
The caution came about during the World Environment Day commemorations organized by the Uganda Law Society under the 2025 global theme “Ending Plastic Pollution.” The gathering, held Thursday, June 05, at ULS House Kololo, attracted stakeholders from across the legal, environmental, and policy sectors.
Speaking at the event, Ms. Gertrude Muwanga, a Senior Advocate and Director of Green Building Council Uganda (GBCUG), challenged both policymakers and the country’s construction sector stakeholders to confront the environmental cost of unregulated development and plastic usage.
“We must ask ourselves: Are the laws we have in place fit for purpose?” Ms Muwanga said, adding, “The building and construction industry alone consumes 20% of global plastic, and yet our policies remain fragmented, outdated, and largely unenforced.”
She decried the environmental blind spots in Uganda’s current legal framework, pointing to outdated ordinances like Kampala’s 2000 waste management code as insufficient for addressing 21st-century threats such as microplastics and construction waste.
Ms Muwanga also highlighted that buildings account for over one-third of global carbon emissions and fossil fuel use, urging government and industry actors to embrace green construction models.
“We are literally building the Uganda of tomorrow,” she said. “But without clear standards on plastic waste, recyclable materials, and sustainable architecture, we risk locking ourselves into a cycle of environmental harm.”
She therefore advocated for bolder implementation of the National Environment Act, the Building Control Act, and the National Building Code of 2019, calling them progressive in principle but under-enforced in practice.
Muwanga also emphasized the need to close regulatory loopholes and incentivize the use of low-impact materials such as bamboo, compressed earth blocks, and recycled aggregates.
Mr. Nicholas Magara, Principal Environment Officer at the Ministry of Water and Environment, who represented the government at the event, echoed Muwanga’s concerns, linking plastic mismanagement to a growing public health crisis.
He warned that microplastics from discarded plastics are now infiltrating the food chain and could be contributing to rising cancer cases in Uganda. “Fish ingest microplastics, and when we eat the fish, we ingest the plastics too,” he said. “Toxic chemicals from plastic disposal are causing cancer, respiratory problems, reproductive disorders, and even ecosystem collapse.”
Mr Magara emphasized that the Ministry is working to improve the regulatory framework, including plans to enforce extended producer responsibility, strengthen plastic waste collection systems, and promote circular economy practices. However, he acknowledged that enforcement remains a challenge, largely due to limited capacity among local governments and a lack of public awareness.
“The impacts of plastic pollution are not just environmental, they’re economic, social, and deeply personal. We are seeing degraded habitats, poisoned water sources, and a rising cancer burden,” Magara said.
Despite these strides, Uganda’s previous efforts to ban plastics, particularly kaveera (lightweight polythene bags), have, over the years, been marked by reversals and weak enforcement.
A nationwide ban on plastic bags below 30 microns was first announced in 2007, then reiterated in 2009, 2015, 2018, and 2021, but the measure has largely failed due to lack of political will, industrial resistance, and confusion over standards.
In 2024, a NEMA directive mandating every motorist to install trash cans in their vehicles was withdrawn just a month after it was issued, following a legal challenge by the Uganda Law Society, which argued that the directive had no legal foundation and imposed arbitrary fines on motorists.
But Ms Naomi Karekaho, the National Focal Point for Plastics at NEMA, urged the public to embrace lifestyle changes, including ditching disposable bottles and carrying reusable containers.
“We cannot regulate our way out of plastic pollution. Behaviour change is critical,” she said, noting that Uganda produces over 600 tonnes of plastic waste daily, with only a small fraction recycled.
“You know, when you go to a restaurant, they serve your juice in a plastic cup, and it just gets thrown away or ends up down the drain,” she added. “Carrying your own bottle, preferably not a plastic one, allows you to refill instead of relying on single-use options. The idea we’re promoting is reuse. If you must use plastic, let it be something reusable.”
The environmental experts have since urged a collaborative national response that embeds sustainability into Uganda’s development blueprint, especially given the country’s rapid population growth and urbanization rate.
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