Environmental
Plastic waste poses insidious threat to environment
Severe plastic pollution in rivers, lakes and on farmland in Uganda is degrading water quality, harming aquatic life and reducing crop yields.
Plastic waste has become one of Uganda’s most urgent environmental issues, with rivers such as Rwizi and the Kagera system heavily clogged with plastic bottles and sachets, which impede water flow and degrade water quality for millions of people. Lake Victoria is similarly affected, with plastic debris covering breeding swamps, entangling fishing nets, and endangering aquatic wildlife. Plastic trash buried in farmland disrupts irrigation and root development, leading to reduced agricultural productivity. Uganda generates about 600 tonnes of plastic daily, of which only 40% of urban plastic waste is collected and just 10% is recycled, meaning the majority is either burned, dumped illegally in water bodies and drainage channels, or left to accumulate in the environment, causing widespread soil and ecosystem damage.
- Status
- active
- Location
- Uganda
- Date added
- 2026-03-25 15:48 UTC
- Last updated
- 2026-03-25 15:48 UTC
- Source
- https://observer.ug
- Connected threats
-
- Not Available