Uganda faces the challenge of managing its plastic waste with overflowing landfills

The city of Kampala generates mountains of rubbish daily which small businesses try to recycle for schools

Video AP-LaPresse/Atlas Agency. Although from afar it may look like just another mountain, if you get closer, you can see that it is actually a pile of rubbish weighing down on those working to contain it. It is now the famous Kitesi landfill, on the outskirts of Kampala, the capital of Uganda. About 600 tons of plastic bags are collected daily, in addition to other waste. Shamim Naluyima, founder of Edu-Plastics, says the problem is real, because Uganda recycles only 1% of what it produces. A management challenge that tested the African country's ability to recycle and dispose of this disproportionate amount of waste. Uganda has been unable to comply with a plastic ban in place since 2009, but businesses have flourished, alleviating the problem. These small companies, like Shamim's, saw an opportunity. While the rest see nothing but trash, they turn trash into backpacks for students and all kinds of school supplies. A hopeful initiative, but it is not enough. Humanity produces 430 million tons of plastic annually, and this number is expected to triple by 2060, turning the planet into a massive garbage dump.

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