Cabinet delaying ban on single-use plastics – NEMA

By our reporter

The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) has blamed the inter-ministerial committee for the delayed ban on single-use plastics.

While presenting a paper reviewing Government policy on the implementation of the ban on plastic carrier bags, NEMA Executive Director Tom Okurut called on the committee to uphold the Finance Act of 2009 and other measures aimed at safeguarding the environment until the National Environment Bill is enacted into law.

Okurut noted that the Ministry of Trade had disagreed with a total ban on plastic materials saying that the concept of microns had to be put in place so as to distinguish what should be banned and what can pass, in a bid to protect investors manufacturing plastics.

“In April 2015, cabinet constituted an inter-ministerial committee consisting Ministries of Trade, Water and Environment, Finance and Agriculture as well as NEMA, UMA and KACITA, to process implementation of the ban with input from the President,” Okurut told the MPs.

He added that however, NEMA was directed to continue the ban on plastics below 30 microns as it waited for guidance from Cabinet on how to handle other types of plastic materials that are above 30 microns.

The Minister for Water and Environment, Sam Cheptoris, however, said the ministry had prepared a cabinet paper suggesting recommendations on how best to implement the ban on single-use plastics [kavera], which he said will be handled by cabinet next week.

Cheptoris added that the biggest percentage of Ugandans support a total ban on plastic use saying a study indicated that Ugandans know of the dangers of re-using single-use plastic material.

“This is a global problem and there have been global efforts to ban plastics worldwide, because the UN passed a resolution calling for specific, internationally-agreed goals to tackle plastic waste,” said Cheptoris.

The Minister and senior officials from NEMA were appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources to give feedback on issues pertaining to progress made on the implementation of the ban on single-use plastics in Uganda.