Poor garbage disposal baffles Masindi municipal authorities

By Innocent Atuganyira

Masindi: Authorities in Masindi Municipality and Masindi District are worried over the poor management of waste in the municipality.

The Masindi Municipal Senior Environmental Officer, Mr. Fred Kasigwa, says that though the municipality generates 22 tons of waste daily, it is only properly managed in the Masindi Central division.

He notes that the waste is poorly managed in other divisions like Kigulya, Nyangahya, and Karujubu, where both decomposable and non-decomposable waste, including plastics, is just dumped anywhere and ends up in water bodies.

‘’We have the challenge of managing solid wastes like plastic bottles, polythene bags, and others; they always block trenches during the rainy season and water sources, including swamps,’’ he said.

He said this affects the quality of water sources and aquatic species, among other disastrous effects on the environment.

Kasigwa therefore calls for special funding from the government for waste management in order to address the problem in the municipality.

Godfrey Mirimo, the acting municipal principle medical officer, notes that currently the garbage fleet for the municipality is very old and can’t effectively handle garbage collection.

Mirimo appeals for the provision of another fleet by the central government to ease garbage collection in the municipality.

Residents speak out

Moris Ogenyi, the team leader at Alpha Action for Social and Economic Development (AASED), a non-government organization based in Masindi, notes that garbage management is one of the major challenges in Masindi municipality.

Ogenyi adds that garbage management starts at home, where people in the municipality instead just dump it anywhere, even under their beds.

‘’These are the people you find throwing rubbish on road sides and in public places. This is done by both children and adults, ’he adds.

Ogenyi also said people should interest themselves in monitoring those who dump rubbish wherever they find; they say bit by bit makes a bundle; this after sometimes becomes a bundle, hence should be handled before. Because at the end, we shall all be affected, like flooding as a result of blocked water trenches.

He asserted that waste management is crucial and can be managed if the public is disciplined.

‘’People should learn to sort the waste by separating it. For example, plastic wastes, kitchen remains, especially food, glasses, wires, and medical wastes also have classifications, but most people don’t know how to classify them,’’ he said, noting that awareness creation is crucial, just like what’s always done with open defecation because both have an environmental impact.

He also mentioned that recycling garbage into manure generates a significant amount of revenue. ‘’People can learn to use papers, for example, to cook or set fire; there are a lot of papers and boxes that can be used for this.”

Ogenyi asked the local government to prioritize garbage collection, asserting this has a health impact since a sick community cannot be productive and causes a loss of revenue. ‘’They should also lobby for investors in waste management and pass a bylaw if it is not in place to prosecute the culprits of irresponsible rubbish dumping in the community.’’

John Matovu, a businessman dealing in plastic waste, says he buys about a half-ton of plastic on a daily basis. ‘’Currently, I buy half a ton of plastic bottles from the collectors, and they are on the increase,’’ he says.

Matovu noted that he is now earning a lot from the business since plastic waste is dumped in almost every corner of the town.

‘’Bottles are in excess; every weekend I transport them to the central region to sell them, and I’m getting a lot of money. I have been in this business for close to four years,’’ he said.

Mary Tugume, a resident of Kihande Cell in Central Division, said that though a compost plant was established in Kikwanana Cell, it’s not enough to handle the garbage generated in the municipality, and she called for lobbying for the construction of a plastic recycling plant in the municipality.

‘’Another way we can save our environment is by establishing a plastic recycling plant in the municipality because bottles are everywhere and endangering the environment,’’ she noted.

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