【Environmental Protection】Impact Assessment Report Promoting clean environment through environmental education and garbage collection

Kiosk install and green grass regenerates

<Introduction and background>

This abridged report presents a highlight of the ‘Promoting clean environment through environmental education and garbage collection-Lusalira Trading Centre -Mubende district.’ Project.

This project aimed at Promoting a clean environment and the objectives were;

1-     To promote education and awareness on safe disposal and alternative use of garbage in Lusalira trading Centre.

2-     Promote good waste disposal practice of sorting and utilization as manure and raw materials for recycling in Lusalira trading Centre.

3-     To enforce good garbage disposal and environmental cleanliness in Lusalira trading Centre

4-     A community based environmental protection and promotion system and established.

 

It has been implemented between November 2021 to December 2022. Here below is a summary of activities and achievements that have been realized and thus contributed to the attainment of the above aim and objectives.

 

1.    Summary of each activity

 

Activity1.1 A community-based radio communication system established with ability to relay information and messages via megaphones/loudspeakers to the entire training Centre

A community -based radio communication systems has been established by SORAK. SORAK is also able to make use of another community owned megaphones. These are used continuously to conduct community education and awareness about garbage management, sorting and importance of maintaining a safe and clean environment.

 

Activity 1.2 Thirty (30) minutes’ daily environmental education talks conducted for 10 months during the project period

Environmental education talks have been continuously conducted during the entire project period and for 10 months as planned in the project. This has had an attendant effect of creating awareness and making people appreciate the work of SORAK and her donor-GBN. The community also appreciates the importance of living in a clean environment that has been created by this project.

 

Activity 1.3 An environmental education and awareness raising jingle/spot message aired 5 times a day for 10 months during the project period

The radio talk shows were supplemented and reinforced by jingles/spot messages. Having been aired 5 times per day meant that environment promotion and protection messages kept ringing in the ears of the community. A living in a clean environment has now become a daily ‘song’ and all people including local leaders are appreciative of SORAK and GBN for having innovated this project.

 

Activity 2.1 Ten (10) garbage containers/skips procured and stationed at 5 different places to encourage and support garbage sorting and safe disposal.

Ten garbage collection containers were procured and placed at convenient locations. The community has been introduced to garbage sorting. This has made it easy for the plastic dealers to take away plastics while the decomposable garbage is also taken away by farmers to serve as manure in their banana gardens.

 

Activity 3.1 A community based environmental protection monitoring group established and it is active in monitoring and reporting safe garbage disposal and sorting in Lusalira trading Centre.

Lusalira trading Centre now has a community based environmental protection monitoring group composed of local leaders and residents in the community. These keeps watching of proper garbage disposal and ensure that sorting in maintained. They also keep watching of the garbage containers. They also educate others on the project dos and don’ts.

 

Activity 3.2 Safe garbage disposal by-laws are made and enforced.

SORAK worked in collaboration with the village and subcounty leaders and came up with safe garbage disposal by-laws. These are now in place and have helped to keep the Trading Centre clean. These by-laws are being enforced by an established community-based monitoring group with backup support from SORAK.

 

2.    Positive changes and impact

The following positive changes and impact have been achieved;

·       Education and awareness on safe disposal and alternative use of garbage has been promoted in Lusalira Trading Centre.

·       Good waste disposal practices of sorting, and use as manure and raw material for recycling of plastics has been promoted in Lusalira Trading Centre

·       There is now a better and improved garbage disposal and a clean environment of in Lusalira Trading Centre

·       Sites that were once garbage dumping sites have been now turned into market stalls, business kiosks among others.

·       Increased income generation opportunity among plastic dealers-These collect and load trucks on a quarterly basis. Also depends on how soon enough quantities are collected.

·       Increased soil fertility among decomposable garbage users generated from sorting

·       Increased SORAK and donors’ visibility in the community served

 

It should be observed that this project introduced a good idea and garbage management practices for this fast-growing rural growth Centre. Management of garbage is one of the routine activities of any urban Centre. It is therefore hoped that the subcounty local government will continue with the same activities and in the future provide big trash containers. The example set by this project has provided lessons for enabling continued action against garbage in the area with limited or no major challenges.

 

3.    Challenges

During the 12 months project implementation period, the following challenges have been faced;

·       Slow adaption to garbage sorting. It was learnt that most people dumping waste were either children or women who were unable to read inscriptions on the containers ‘dump here plastics, and here non plastics’ neither could they properly interpret the decomposable and non-decomposable signs.

·       It was realized that the provided containers were too small for the available garbage being generated on a daily basis. The trading Centre needs bigger garbage skips than the ones provided.

·       Those people who collect and sell trash are the people who are helping us clean the area. The subcounty currently does not have a garbage dumping site. So, the income generated by selling the sorted trash is not for the subcounty neither for SORAK but for individuals who take part this garbage collection. Without a governmental collecting and dumping system, it is difficult for the government to generate income by selling trash and purchase materials for this project like larger garbage skips etc.

·       Generation of too much plastics and polythene materials. Much of the non-decomposable waste is polythene papers which are dangerous to the environment. This is a national concern and problem that requires the complete ban of the use of polythene and plastic materials countrywide.

 

4.    Conclusion and recommendations

Following the completion and successful implementation of this project, the following conclusion and recommendations are drawn;

 

The project has been generally a success as exemplified by a continued state of overall environmental cleanliness of Lusalira Trading Centre. Community members, local leaders and SORAK staff are now more sensitive about ensuring safe garbage disposal. Sites that were once garbage dumping places have been turned into better uses at market stall centers, kiosks among others.

Community members have put garbage to other better uses including use as manure and income generation via sales to plastic dealers for recycling industries that are located over 170km away from this project area.

 

It is therefore recommended as follows;

·       Need to replicate this project to other areas due to the positive impacts achieved

·       Need to provide bigger garbage skips to ensure effective garbage collection

·       Need to advocate for a complete ban of polythene papers and plastics since the dominate much of the non-decomposable waste in the project area and in Uganda in general.

·       Provide follow up with the local leaders to ensure that garbage collection containers are effectively in use.

 

5.    Photos (Comparing Before and After this project)

The project impact is illustrated in the photos below. After removing garbage, grass regenerated and land/space use was changed such as a kiosk built. That is because locations/ position looks differently.

 

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【Environmental Protection】Activity Report2022 Nov-Dec Promoting clean environment through environmental education and garbage collection

 

Officer in charge Kibalinga police station talking about the project and Ebola

<Progress of each activity>

Activity 1.2 Thirty (30) minutes’ environmental education talks conducted for 10 months

In respect to the above activity, 6 radio talk shows were conducted by the Project Officer on 14 November 2022 and 04, 06, 08, 10, and 12 December 2022 which ran for 30 minutes at Luna FM Kibalinga.

These were intended to create more awareness about the use of the proper garbage disposal and sorting of garbage. It was also intended to sensitize the community about Ebola pandemic as poor hygiene also increases the disease. In addition, these were intended to conclude the project as well as emphasizing to the listeners the need and importance of keeping community clean.

The community was also thanked for keeping and maintaining a clean environment in Lusalira trading Centre. Two persons (1 female and 1 male) called in during the talk show and thanked SORAK and GBN for the project and for having promoted a clean environment in Lusalira trading Centre.

 

 

Activity 1.3 An environmental education and awareness raising jingle/spot message aired 5 times a day

Airing of spot messages on Luna Fm radio in Kibalinga to create awareness about proper garbage management in the community thus improving sanitation and hygiene. These messages are aired 5 times a day to ensure that people acquire basic information about garbage.

<Spot Messages> Fellow Ugandans, did you know that poor garbage disposal negatively affects both an individual and the entire community in households and in the community. Poor garbage disposal can cause dangerous diseases like Cholera and Diarrhea that are harmful to our lives. Burning of garbage anyhow can lead to environmental degradation. Therefore, SORAK has come out to provide support by engaging in sensitization of community members about proper garbage management, through providing containers where garbage is disposed, a vehicle collects garbage to the collection points where sorting and recycling of garbage aimed to keep the environment clean is conducted from. Therefore, it is advised that we work together in this call to improve sanitation and hygiene in Lusalira community. This message is brought to you by SORAK together with Global Bridge Network-Japan

 

Activity 2.1 Ten (10) garbage containers/skips procured and stationed at 5 different places to encourage and support garbage sorting, recycling and safe disposal.

Garbage is sorted accordingly as the ones that decompose like food peelings are separated from the ones that do not decompose like plastic bottles. Decomposed garbage is taken by currently 3 farmers and used in their gardens as fertilizers which has greatly improved the quality of crops and plants.

 

Activity 3.1 A community based environmental protection monitoring group established and it is active in monitoring and reporting safe garbage disposal and sorting in Lusalira trading Centre.

This project has thanked for having established an environmental protection and monitoring group of 12 members. It is composed of; local women and men involved in petty trade, village leaders and subcounty leaders. This group was started way back in March-April 2022 in the earlier months of the project. It has been maintained and continues to operate as earlier planned. This group will maintain the project activities of cleaning Lusalira trading Centre even after December 2022 when the project ends. Every Thursday of a week has been earmarked as community cleaning/ monitoring day. This and the follow-up is being done by the local village local government while SORAK participates to provide a backstopping role.

 

 

Activity 3.1.2 Engagement meeting with selected monitoring committee and local leaders sharing project progress

A meeting with local leaders that included Police officers, Subcounty Chief, LC1 Chairman, SORAK team and the monitoring committee among others was conducted at Kibalinga Police Station on the 21/11/2022. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the progress of the project and how it will be sustained to keep the community clean. Officer in charge of Kibalinga Police Station and the sub county Chief encouraged the monitoring committee to continue with the good work and also threw more light about the issue of Ebola in the community. Emphasized that a clean environment can help to reduce and prevent the disease hence encouraged proper garbage disposal.

Each of the above persons has a role contributing to sustainability of the activities. The Subcounty chief supervises, the police handle those faulting on the by-laws, while the local council leaders (LC chairman and team) lead the team on ground. He also leads the weekly cleaning and enforcement days-Thursdays.

 

Engagement of community and subcounty leaders 15th December 2022

SORAK staff continued to engage and conducted a final evaluation and engagement meeting with the subcounty leaders as well as representatives from the community based environmental protection and promotion group of Lusalira trading Centre.

 

This meeting discussed what has been achieved including;

·       Maintained cleanliness-this has been due to continued awareness created by the talk shows

·       Care of the garbage containers and resolved that these should be under the charge of Local council one leaders.

·       Proper sorting of garbage- where it was agreed that it was good for the farmers to take the decomposing ones while the waste dealers would continue collecting plastics on their own and take them for sale. Farmers freely come to collection sites and take away decomposable garbage with their own means. The recyclable materials are also taken away by individuals to take the advantage of finding them sorted. This system was preferred because it makes garbage management easy since collectors who take and sale are self-motivated. The committee role ends at ensuring a clean environment and that all garbage is taken out of the Trading Centre.

 

The meeting also discussed challenges including;

·       The generation of too much waste that now needs bigger garbage skips (containers) than the containers supplied by this project. In future the subcounty would introduce bigger skips and thanks to SORAK and GBN for having introduced the idea of sorting and collection of garbage in containers.

 

Activity 3.2 Safe garbage disposal by-laws are made and enforced.

All the way from inception activities, this project engaged leaders and residents to make safe garbage disposal by-laws. As a result, the following were made and are being enforced.

 

1.     A penalty of 50,000# will be opposed to those caught mishandling garbage

2.     Children above 2 years will be left home. Mothers in the markets were advised by their fellow vendors that children of the mentioned age should be left at home since they congest the market area and dispose waste anyhow

3.     Anyone caught mishandling containers will be obliged to buy two containers and failure to do so will call for arrest of the victim

4.     Anyone caught with a hip of garbage at his/her place will also be punished to ensure they dispose garbage in the containers that will be provided

 

Positive influences

·         Local leaders thanked SORAK for the wonderful project during the engagement meeting that the hygiene has greatly changed in the area and requested for more of such projects in their community that improve the community wellbeing

·         Listeners appreciated the radio talk shows that aim at promoting hygiene and sanitation in the community. They also appreciated the information provided about Ebola and thanked SORAK for such wonderful information

·         Farmers were so grateful as the decomposed garbage helped them in improving soil fertility which provides them with high quality crops and plants. By December 3 banana farmers have been actively involved in collecting and taking sorted decomposable garbage to their gardens

·         Community members happily engaged in garbage sorting because they sell the non-decomposed garbage like plastics. These include mostly youth (6) who were formerly unemployed. They appreciated SORAK for allowing them sell them hence rise some income which help them sustain some of their needs. It is estimated that individual plastic waste dealers earn an average of 30$ per month.

 

Challenges faced during the activity

·       Increased generation of plastic waste and sometimes community members send children to the garbage containers who end up mixing both decomposable and non-decomposable. The continued monitoring and awareness via spot messages have helped a lot in addressing this challenge. SORAK plans to continue having spot messages and radio talk shows due to the fact that SORAK wishes to sustain her name and the set clean environment standards.

·       Restriction of movement due to Ebola virus disease outbreak and associated lockdown for 63 days covering the entire district. This limited the monitoring group movements especially checking on the community members whether they were dumping trash where it was supposed to be dumped -in containers. There was thus some littering of trash. This has been however solved after the lifting of the lock down. Also talk shows encouraged people to dump waste in time before the curfew time.

 

Lessons learnt

·     It was learnt that the project greatly benefited the community as its aim and objectives was achieved.

 

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*This project is is supported by the fund form TAISEI CORPORATION

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