Use and reuse: When will Ugandan get it?

How many times have you seen plastic bags and bottles thrown out of a car window on highways?
And have you ever thought about where non-biodegradable materials such as electronic devices, computer parts, batteries, metals and even glasses that you no longer use end up.

It is common to find such wastes thrown by the roadside or dumped into water bodies – no matter how toxic it could be.
You will also hardly find options for non-recyclables and recyclables trash bins strategically placed, and where this is available the discipline for proper disposal is wanting.
This careless waste disposal, costing the environment and human health, is based on a consumption design known as the “take-make-consume-throw away” pattern.

However, there is a way out of this mess in a circular economy where the concept of use and reuse of materials within the economy takes precedence in waste management.
Unlike the linear economy where products are bought, used, and thrown away, with little consideration for recycling, circular economy is all about extending product life by keeping it in use for as long as possible through re-using, repairing, refurbishing and even sharing.

If well implemented, environmental regulator – NEMA, environmental experts, researchers and policy analysts spoken to for this article, concur circular economy can contribute to green recovery, climate adaptation and mitigation, energy savings and biodiversity protection.

Impact on economic sectors
“I believe that the circular economy offers a different approach to the traditional linear economic model of take-make-dispose,” says Dr Anthony Mugeere, Research Fellow, Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE).

He continued: “This model is a perfect response to the linear economic model under which raw materials are sourced, transformed into finished products and sold to consumers leading to waste generation when consumers eventually discard the goods as they approach the conclusion of their usable life cycle.
“This is the antidote to the long standing challenge of the linear economy which largely operates under the implicit assumption that resources are limitless and not at risk of depletion.”

By implementing a circular economy strategy, companies can develop new business models including renting products, selling spare parts and reusing raw materials which are all new ways of meeting market needs while stimulating innovation.
But for this to happen there will be a need for the government to play its role. 
“Essentially, the government's main role is to provide the enabling policy and Institutional framework for its implementation. This starts with the enactment and review of the relevant policy instruments such as the NEMA Act, the National Development Plan (NDP) IV, including the Uganda Green Growth Strategy,” says Dr Mugeere.

Additionally, the government should not only spearhead the awareness campaign to promote the circular economy among the population but also provide the required incentives for investment in this space to the private sector to promote related enterprises. Importantly, it is incumbent upon the government to enforce legislation for the protection of the environment—notably the practices that promote reuse and recycling.

Efforts
According to the Ministry of Water and Environment, the country’s forests, swamps, and water bodies face serious threats from pollution, rapid human encroachment, and overexploitation. For example, the country’s forest cover declined from 24 percent of total land area in 1990 to 9percent in 2015, a loss of about 3 million hectares, while wetland cover decreased from 15.5percent in 1994 to 9 percent in 2020.
The Ministry as well as the environmental regulatory arm – NEMA, concurs that a circular economy can address the aforementioned environmental challenges. Already Uganda has taken a major step towards creating a circular economy to drive sustainable growth and green industrialization in line with its Vision 2040 National Agenda.

However, it has emerged that knowledge and perceptions of this model is still not properly understood among stakeholders.
A study by Geme et al, shows that only 27 percent of stakeholders interviewed were familiar with the circular economy term. At least 61 percent believed that circular economy is synonymous with recycling, over 60 percent understood only the basics of the concept, and only 7 percent claimed that they were extremely knowledgeable about circular economy while 40 percent were hearing about the term circular economy for the first time.
Mindset change and potential benefits
The circular economy represents a significant shift from the current mindset, offering an alternative that benefits the environment and economy.

As such, the transition to a circular economy requires collaboration and involvement of numerous stakeholders, including policymakers, corporations, SMEs, environmental groups, including communities. Therefore, for Uganda to benefit fully from transitioning from a linear to a circular economy, these stakeholders should take an active role.
“When a product reaches the end of its life, its materials are kept within the economy wherever possible thanks to recycling. These can be productively used again and again, thereby creating further value,” Ms Anna Amumpaire, Research Fellow, ACODE, noted in her presentation on Circular Economy.

Responsibilities
A profile of key stakeholders involved in the transition to a greener and circular economy by ACODE and likeminded partners, indicates that the Ministry of Water and Environment whose mandate includes the development, management, and regulation of water and environment resources as well as waste management, is still wanting. Because it is yet to undertake specific circular economy initiatives although NDP IV which has a strategic direction to promote circular economy including recycling of plastics.

Even though circular economy is a sub component of green economy, there are ongoing scattered efforts by individual entities such as the Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited in Lugazi who use bagasse to make electricity and fertilizers.
Despite having the mandate to formulate sound economic policies that enhance economic stability and development, the Ministry of Finance is yet to undertake specific circular economy initiatives.