Kampala — All polythene bags should be banned, relief and disaster preparedness state minister Musa Ecweru has said, writes Ronald Kalyango.

"It was a blunder to ban some grades of polythene bags (buvera)," said Ecweru as he led residents of Ntinda in a sanitation drive on Saturday. The locals collected polythene bags, plastic bottles and containers.

"Polythene bags block drainages and cause soil pollution because they are non-biodegradable. Experts say they take 500 years to decompose," said Ecweru.

He added that it was difficult for the Government and the customers to distinguish between the grades banned and those they could use.

The sanitation drive, organised by Kampala Pharmaceutical Industries, a Ntinda-based factory, was one of the activities to mark the Malaria Day. "We wanted to sensitise the community about malaria," said Nazeem Mohamed, the general manager.