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

AP-LaPresse/Atlas Video. And although from a distance it may look like another mountain, if you get close to it, you can see that it is actually a pile of rubbish weighing heavily on whoever is working to contain it. This is the already famous Kitizi dump, on the outskirts of Kampala, Uganda’s capital. Here about 600 tons of plastic bags are collected daily, in addition to other waste. The problem is real, says Shamim Naluyima, founder of Edu-Plastics, because Uganda only recycles 1% of what it produces. An administrative challenge that tested the ability of the African country to recycle and dispose of this huge amount of waste. Uganda has not been able to comply with a plastics ban in place since 2009, but businesses have thrived, mitigating the problem. Small businesses like Shamim’s saw an opportunity. While the rest see nothing but crap, they turn trash into student backpacks and all kinds of school supplies. A hopeful initiative, but not enough. Humanity produces 430 million tons of plastic annually, and this number is expected to triple by 2060, turning the planet into a giant garbage dump. -wording-