Bugembe Samuel on Plastic Recycling in Uganda (Youth-Led Solutions 2025)
After years of silence, waste management has now popped out as a public concern from it having been a government issue and a worry to a point where the youth, elderly, skilled or unskilled, the intellectual, civil societies and private sector have joined the fight to see an end to environmental pollution, poor sanitation and unorganized plastic management systems in mostly urban centers of Uganda leading to continuous spread of hygiene based diseases and flooding.
The government of Uganda, has tried to put up regulations and laws in place, increasing taxes to plastic manufacturing factories, promoted eco friendly and substitute materials which can easily decay like paper bags, encouraged value addition to waste and recycling but still the public has failed to embrace and accept these alternative products, preferring plastic more and more every day. What's surprising, is that even with increased taxes onto plastic manufacturing brands, production of plastic continues to increase day by day and they cost way cheaper than alternative sources making them more affordable and accessible to the public.
One of the role the civil society ( climate based organizations) has played in the fight, is to sensitise the local communities on how to manage home wastes, empowered youth to join recycling as a business opportunity, they have argued government to increase taxes on plastic factories in the country and they also apply for climate protection grants from international organizations to fund training and sensitization community projects.
Organizations like Anchors for youth Afrika a registered NGO in uganda where Bugembe Samuel currently works has managed to put up a recycling project "From plastic to solid bricks" where they turn waste plastic bottles and polythene bags into building blocks like pavers and interlocking bricks which substitute traditional bricks and now compete with concrete bricks on the market. Such projects are meant to impact change in communities, employ youth, promote innovation and creativity plus utilization of community waste resources.Such innovative works add a brick to our Ugandan society and pull other unemployed youths struggling to earn a living in the already less or no job opportunistic country like Uganda. Creative youths like Bugembe Samuel aka Wizly Samuel the blac man, currently working with anchors for youth Afrika have dedicated their time and efforts to expose the available opportunities dealing with plastic waste.
Bugembe Samuel ( blac-man)works towards a society free from both degrading and non degradable wastes while encouraging fellow youth to learn as well as seeing opportunities in recycling and adding value to waste than sitting home doing less or nothing at all .
Link to bugembe Samuel x account
https://x.com/i/status/1829042364268073060
About the Author
Bugembe Samuel is a Ugandan plastic recycling practitioner and youth empowerment leader working with Anchors for Youth Afrika and through Blac-Arts ug. He focuses on turning plastic waste into sustainable livelihoods for youth in Uganda
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