Waste Management
In Uganda, 600 tonnes of plastic waste are disposed of every day. More than half is never collected — it ends up in waterways, drains and streets. According to UNICEF, diarrhoea kills 33 children a day. Plastic and health are the same issue.
The context
In the informal settlements on the outskirts of Kampala — Bukasa, Kirinya, Namuwongo — plastic waste is everywhere. It blocks drainage systems, pollutes water sources, accumulates in streets and open land. Latrines are often absent: human waste is disposed of in plastic bags thrown into drainage channels. Water-borne diseases — diarrhoea, dysentery, typhoid, cholera — are a direct consequence of a system that does not work.
Plastic can take up to a thousand years to decompose. The problem does not solve itself.
The project
Waste Management is a project focused on awareness, training and income generation, developed in the communities of Bukasa, Kirinya and Namuwongo. The interventions worked on several levels.
Theoretical and practical training on waste management and the consequences of improper disposal. Training for women living near the Bukasa landfill in the recovery and sorting of plastic waste — turning a problem into a source of income. Training on plastic recycling to produce marketable paving elements. Installation of separate waste collection bins in churches, mosques, municipal offices and public spaces. A community awareness campaign.
The goal was not simply to collect rubbish — it was to build a network and a system capable of sustaining itself.
Our contribution
The project was initiated by Casa Costa Foundation ETS, which in the summer of 2018 organised an internal fundraising campaign across the Casa Costa 1956 properties — Hotel La Perla and Berghotel Ladinia. A total of €14,900 was raised, against a first-year project cost of €13,146.
