Yesterday, parliament questioned the proposal, calling on the government to give investors more time and to guarantee that the country will not face a shortage of packaging materials.
The Minister of the environment, Dr. Vincent Biruta defended the bill stating that “most of the single-use plastics on the market could be easily replaced.”
A Member of Parliament Anita Mutesi observed that while the law guarantees the protection of the environment, it also requires further research and consultation with all stakeholders.
Another MP Ignatianne Nyirarukundo warned about likely shortage of packaging materials and availability of alternatives. “We had planned alternatives for 10 years when we banned plastic bags, but there does not seem to be any planned alternative for this new proposal. How confident are we that there will be an alternative for packaging if we ban single-use plastics? Locally manufactured products are expensive because of expensive packaging and I want to know what will happen if we continue to buy such expensive materials,” queried MP Ignatianne Nyirarukundo.
The law prohibiting the manufacture, import, use, and sale of polythene bags in the country was adopted in 2008 but is limited to the prohibition of polythene bags, which means that it does not cover other types of plastics that are harmful to the environment.
Biruta told MPs that the law was in public interest, saying that despite consultations with stakeholders such as traders and manufacturers, there would still be complaints.
“We cannot establish a law based on the traders’ business plan, we must first establish the law and encourage the business community to adopt it. We make laws for the benefit of many” said the Minister.
Under the bill, the government has agreed to give businesses a two-year grace period to stop making single-use plastics.
