Uganda's experts in waste management and local innovators are emphasizing the use of biodegradable waste to produce valuable fertilizer and improve agriculture, in an effort to prevent the overfilling of landfills.
This initiative is crucial to avoid tragedies like the incident in Kiteezi, where a garbage dump collapsed, killing several people.
Kampala city is currently grappling with a garbage crisis, with 2,500 tons of waste collected daily. Of this, 70% is biodegradable.
Despite this, Uganda continues to attract more private investors in waste recycling compared to government initiatives.
The Ghetto Research Lab in Kamwokya has taken significant steps in environmental conservation and compost management within the ghettos.
As a community-based initiative, they collect biodegradable waste from the community and mix it with human waste to create compost.
"We are dealing in compost management where we turn all the biodegradable waste and human waste into fertilizer rich in carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen," noted Patrick Mujuzi, the team leader of Ghetto Research Lab.
To combat climate change and promote cleanliness, the group also uses plastic bottles to construct toilets, helping to keep the environment clean.
Patrick Mujuzi noted that they have the capacity to utilize all the garbage collected in Kampala and could even demand waste from other districts with support from the government.
"Kampala is just a small city that we can manage. Given support, we can even call for waste from Mpigi, Wakiso, and other neighboring districts challenged by garbage," he added.
Reagan Kandole, Director of ECO Action, sees waste as a significant "elephant in the room" that demands urgent attention.
He has collected helmets and metallic waste, recycling them into elephant art sculptures and other figurative art pieces.
Additionally, he has trained communities to construct washrooms out of plastic waste, all in pursuit of a zero-waste environment. Over time, he has created art that depicts a healthy ecosystem.
"I try to talk about issues that people don't want to discuss, yet we live with them--climate change, environmental pollution, poor waste management. I feel like this is the elephant in the room that we need to urgently address," said Kandole.
These and other innovators in Uganda need government support to tackle the waste crisis, share knowledge, and create employment opportunities.
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Speaking to KCCA about alternative initiatives to address the garbage crisis, Doreen Nyanjula, the deputy Kampala Lord Mayor commended small private companies for their great initiatives but highlighted the lack of a multipurpose government-led waste recycling plant to address the full spectrum of needs.
She noted that the government has continued to neglect this particular issue.
"The government, being multipurpose, should be able to manage the production of manure and plastic, which is not being done. Private companies are more interested in products that align with their motives," said Nyanjula.
Onesmus Mugyenyi, Deputy Executive Director of the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment, stated that despite the government's claims of limited resources, leaving waste management to small private sector plants could lead to water contamination, harming both the environment and human life.
To effectively manage waste, he urged the government to empower and embrace partnerships with the private sector.
"It is not a sector that can be left purely to private individuals because it needs capital investment," noted Mugyenyi.
