BY S KWAGALA
Edison Twinomujuni from Uganda Cleaner Production Center has called out hotels in Uganda on indirectly encouraging the production of plastics.
According to him, serving customers with mineral water in plastic bottles keeps the product in demand despite the long term fight in Uganda against use of plastics.
While addressing different stake holders at a Ministry of Tourism , Wildlife and Antiquities conference under the theme ; Tourism and Green Investments,held at hotel Africana, Twinomujuni noted that the environment should be a beneficiary from tourism as well.
This he said while explaining the concept of green tourism which promotes touring and preserving the natural environment as well as cultural heritage.
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Hotels are one of the many avenues for tourism in Uganda and Twinomujuni expressed that they should transition to green tourism.
He said; ” Green tourism is based on three pillars if people benefit from tourism, tourism profits and then people have resources to protect the environment. I must say our hosts here are not doing well as they are encouraging plastics demand.”
Statistics from NEMA show that plastics take the biggest part of waste with over 600 tonnes being produced every day throughout the country. Only 40% of this waste is collected and disposed of properly, the remaining 60% finds its way into the environment leading to
pollution.
In 2022, the Ministry of Water and Environment resolved to place a ban on single use plastic bottles in packaging beverages. Glass bottles were encouraged and manufacturers given up to 2024 to phase out single use plastic bottles.
Golden Tulip Canaan Kampala Hotel in line with this is a step ahead as it has since adopted glass bottles for mineral water . Tables are laid with glass bottles and a drinking glass for their customers.