Set up central plastic dumpsites in municipalities, rights groups urge county

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) Network members want Homa Bay County government to establish central plastic dumping sites in municipalities to enhance job creation among the youth.

The CSO officials want the county to establish a dumping site in each municipality.

Led by Willis Omulo, Hellen Ouma and Godwin Ayata, they said a central dumping site will enable people who want to recycle the waste to access it easily.

Speaking in Homa Bay Town during celebrations to mark World Environment Day, Ouma said there are young people who are ready to recycle plastic into useful products. But the main challenge is getting the plastic waste.

She said the centralization of dumping sites in the county will enable many people to recycle them into useful products to create job opportunities.

“We want the dumping sites to be centralised. This will enable our young people to recycle them, leading to job creation,” Ouma said.

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Omulo was opposed to the current situation in which the plastic wastes are dumped in lagoons before they are ultimately dumped at unknown places.

“The lagoons alone are not enough. The plastic can be reused and recycled to enhance job creation, but this can only be achieved if we have properly designated plastic dumping sites,” Omulo said.

Omulo expressed concerns over the ongoing plastic pollution in Homa Bay County.

He said the plastic pollution had interfered with Lake Victoria's ecosystem. According to Oumulo, the decline in fish population in the lake results from plastic pollution.

“Plastic interferes with fish breeding zones in Lake Victoria due to pollution, and this has negatively impacted on fish population,” Omulo said.

He told various agencies to put measures in place for eradicating plastic pollution.

“Let our county government and companies distributing their goods put strategies for disposing of plastic in place to augment the fight against them,” Omulo said.

Ayata urged residents to participate actively in environmental conservation to prevent pollution caused by plastic.

“We appeal to residents of this county to avoid discarding plastic anyhow. Let everyone know that environmental conservation is a role of everyone,” Ayata said.