BUJUMBURA June 22nd (ABP) – The management of plastic packaging requires an organization for the protection of the environment, it has been observed in these days especially in the economic capital.
The plastic packaging that is thrown anywhere comes from the various beverage factories. There is packaging for pure water, plastics used to package the various juices made locally and others imported, there is also packaging for cooking oil, to name but a few.
Those plastic packaging items are intended for single use. However, there are sub-factories that traditionally process different powders into drinks, and these use the plastic bottles that we picked up from different garbage dumps while these bottles are supposed to be use only once.
In fact, those bottles subsequently constitute a threat to the environmental protection.
As revealed in the finding, hey clog the drainage nozzles of rainwater or households causing flooding during the rainy season. As they are light, they are blown to Lake Tanganyika while the lake is not made to be thrown in plastic bottles.
The situation is as such while in August 2018, the decree No 100 / 099 prohibiting the importation, manufacture, marketing and use of plastic bags and other plastic packaging was signed by the President of the Republic of that time, the second Vice President and two ministers including the one responsible for Environment and that of Trade.
The decree had the objective of establishing a framework for controlling the use of plastic bags and other plastic packaging, promoting the use of materials that do not degrade the environment and preventing all kinds of pollution caused by the plastic bags and products.
Article 7 of the said decree stipulates that plastic waste including plastic bottles and flasks are returned to the supplier who ensures their storage, recycling or recovery.
What the check by ABP has found is that the implementation of Article 7 has not yet taken place. What remains is to know when this recommendation will come into force while the decree itself comes into force on the day it is signed.