Jobless Ugandans help tackle plastic waste in Kampala
Kampala generates over 350,000 tonnes of solid waste every year but only half of it is collected. But now the city's unemployed are turning this environmental hazard into a job opportunity.
The government’s ban on use of plastic bags does not seem to have helped much in the country’s solid waste management.
Saturday is World Cleanup Day and the theme of beating plastic pollution is being pushed especially hard in Uganda's capital.
Kampala generates more than 350,000 tonnes of solid waste every year and only half of it is collected leaving plastic clogging drains and wetlands.
But now, the city's unemployed are turning this environmental hazard into a job opportunity.
A local NGO called 'You and I Foundation' buys plastic bottles from waste collectors, in an effort to clean up non-biodegradable waste.
"This job helps me to pay school fees for my kids. I buy for them books, basic needs, everything," said a plastic waste collector, Teddy Nyabur.
"I also buy food for my family."
Hillary Ayesiga reports from Kampala.
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