By Kevin Githuku
With just a day to the launch of the Administrative Penalty Scheme for Environmental breaches in Uganda, the UN Secretary-General is calling for a tough war on garbage.
António Guterres was speaking at an event in the General Assembly Hall marking the first-ever International Day of Zero Waste.
He said the planet is literally drowning in garbage, and it is high time to clean up.
Guterres said the global population is “treating planet earth like a garbage dump”, warning that the messy mountain will reach four billion tonnes by 2050.
The high-level meeting was held to raise awareness of the urgent need to transition to a “green” and circular economy that promotes sustainable production and consumption patterns.
The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) is set to roll out enforcement of the penalty scheme tomorrow to deter non-compliance with environmental laws.
According to the UN environmental body, humanity currently generates more than two billion tonnes of municipal solid waste annually, which includes plastics, textiles, rotting food, discarded electronics, and debris from mining and construction sites.
