Ecoplastiles founder and CEO Kamugyisha (R), KCCA and Coca Cola’s Public and Corporate Affairs Director Kirunda Magoola sign waste management partnership.
Coca Cola, through its initiative, Plastic Recycling Industries, has strategized on how to recycle 100% of its products.
The Company’s Public and Corporate Affairs Director, Kirunda Magoola, says that currently, Coca Cola recycles 78% of its products.
However, the plan is to move it to 100% to achieve a “World without plastic”.
To achieve 100% recyclable Coca Cola products, the company has brought on board three other partners to make this happen.
These are: Asante Waste Management, Ecoplastile and Yo-Waste.
The partnership between the said companies was made formal before the media at Plastic Recycling Industries plant at the Industrial area in Nakawa yesterday.
According to Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), whereas the Authority is currently focusing on the smart city campaign, one of the biggest challenges facing the city is waste. Plastics form part of this waste.
“The amount of plastics that is on the streets is alarming,” Kirunda told the partners and the media, “You have to protect the environment. Let’s create a world without plastics.”
According to Rogers Kibuule of Yo-Waste, their application makes it easy for a garbage collector to locate where the cabbage is. Equally, it is easier for the user of the App to locate the nearest garbage collector. It is more of an Uber for garbage collection. Kibuule is hopeful of taking the partnership with Plastic Recycling Industries a notch higher.
Ecoplastile, the other partner uses plastics to make roofing tiles. According to Frank Kamugyisha, the innovation is energy efficient and chemical free. Kamugyisha says Ecoplastile currently makes 1,000 tiles per day and is looking forward to producing 2, 500 tiles per day in the next three years.
Asante, the other partner, is a garbage-collecting company. Apart from garbage collection, they also recover recoverable waste. According to its founder and Chief Executive Officer, Rodney Mukula, Asante is currently collecting about 640 tons per day. However, he suggests that the responsibility of garbage collection starts with the communities. He is, however, hopeful that a conjoined effort can lead to a plastic free environment.
KCCA Spokesperson Robert Kalumba says that whereas garbage collection remains a challenge, it is a work in progress.
