End Plastic Pollution Uganda

IMPORTED SECOND HAND CLOTHES AND THE PLASTIC POLLUTION CRISIS IN UGANDA.

The imported second hand clothes locally known as “Mivumba” in Uganda or “Mitumba” in Kenya and Tanzania are gaining momentum each passing day with little knowledge about the devastating consequences they pose to the environment. Second hand clothes fashion is trending more these days with two thirds of Ugandans taking advantage of these cheap trendy clothes to fit in the fashion world. However it should be noted that fashion moves quickly and becomes unfashionable in a short period of time.

From a one known fashion designer, founder of Buzigahill and co-host of the Vintage or Violence Podcast Bobby Kolade says that second hand clothes comprise of over 80% of all clothing purchases in Uganda. As well the traders and businesses involved in the second hand clothes supply chain are also taking advantage of this profitable venture to exploit consumers. This is evidenced by the large numbers of people working within that line of selling second hand clothes especially as vendors in the country’s big markets like Owino Market in Kampala city. According to statistics provided by Uganda Dealers in used Clothing and Shoes, the second hand clothing supply chain directly and indirectly employes over 4 million Ugandans. These clothes that have been previously owned by other people abroad are imported from the European Union countries and United Kingdom these are shipped mostly through Kenya to Uganda as well as some other Ugandan porous borders.

Countries in the global north are practicing waste colonialism by exporting their waste to countries in the global south. About 90% of used clothes and textile waste form European countries is making its way into Africa and Asia through exports.

Europe generates approximately 5.8 million tons of textile waste annually with synthetic fibers making up nearly two-thirds of this waste. In 2019, Africa received over 60% of textile waste exports. Africa is the largest importing continent, taking in three quarters of all waste textiles, statistics show that 15% of this goes to East Africa (Uganda Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda).

According to a report from a Ugandan newspaper The Daily Monitor, the UK market revealed that vast majority of waste textiles from textile banks and charity shops are collected, cleaned and sorted by textile recyclers, packaged in bales of 50 kilograms also locally known as “Ndibota” in Uganda and then exported to other countries especially African Countries.

The available statistics show that Uganda’s import bill of second hand clothes increased from $24.7million (UGX 102 Billion) in 2001 to $137 million (UGX 511 Billion) in 2016 this was quoted by Daily Monitor newspaper adopted from a report by Economic Research Policy Centre. This report shows a rapid growth in the imports of second hand clothes to Uganda. According to the multiple reports from different stakeholders in the fashion industry in Uganda as well as the East African Newspaper, experts say second hand clothes waste has been exacerbated by the fast fashion boom in wealthier nations.

With the growth in the second hand clothes import market, there is need to expose the plastic pollution crisis associated; what is the Ugandan eco-system in for?

Majority of the second hand clothes reaching the Ugandan market are petroleum –based materials composed of synthetic fibers like polyester, nylon and acrylic therefore clothing made from these fabrics wear out quickly and in most cases rapidly used and discarded.

Most of the fast fashion second hand clothes are made from polyester; this is made from polyethylene terephthalate which is a highly toxic polymer. Since most of these clothes are single-use and therefore discarded once the ultimate purpose for usage is done therefore these maybe collected and taken to textile recycling industries where as others are disposed in landfills which damages the soil structure since these synthetics are non-biodegradable. These are also transported by rains into water channels and water systems leading to blockages of channels hence flooding. For example Kampala Capital City Authority highlighted in the New Vision publications that second clothes waste from Owino Market is dumped in Nakivubo Channel in the city center which has increased flooding.

Sometimes imported second hand clothes are of low quality and in such bad shape that they may not be repurposed or resold, these are in most cases burnt or incinerated which emits dangerous greenhouse gases and other toxins emissions that damage the air quality composition hence posing serious health conditions to human life.

Other low quality second hand clothes are recycled of which polyester plastic is broken down into smaller plastic flakes which are then melted into tiny pellets of plastic, these are subjected to extreme heat and spun into thread used in textile industries, these are micro plastics and therefore pose serious effects once they get into the eco-systems. These discarded used clothes have found their way into water bodies like Lake Victoria through drainage channels; causing adverse effects like limiting movements as well as chocking the aquatic species. On the other hand once they form micro plastics, these are ingested by aquatic species like fish and pose damages to human life once taken into the food chain. The National Environment Management Authority has confirmed that 1 in every 5 fish caught in Lake Victoria has ingested micro plastics.

A report by United Nations Environment Program has shown that micro plastic ingestion at all levels of the food chain poses serious health issues such as endocrine disruption, stunted growth in some species due to the presence of various toxins in the micro plastics.

In addition, whenever second hand clothes are washed, microfibers of polyester and acrylic threads matched in the textiles break off into the laundry water which are later poured into landfills or find their way into water bodies. A report in the New York Times made it clear that that 35% of micro plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is in form of synthetic microfibers making textiles one of the world’s biggest source of marine micro plastic pollution.

A research conducted on Lake Victoria has shown that micro plastics were found in 100% of locations in Lake Victoria exposing a great effect to the water quality and safety. This is evident with the extinction of various fish species as well as the depletion of fish stocks from Lake Victoria reported by the Directorate of Fisheries Resources.

As citizens of Uganda, it’s a fundamental responsibility for all of us to supplement the efforts of government as well as organizations with our actions to put an end to the importation of second hand clothes which are termed as textile wastes in the outside world. Several initiatives have come out to tackle the issue of plastic pollution of bottles and less emphasis has been put on second hand clothes.

The government of Uganda has for the past few years has been pushing for a ban on importation of second hand clothes. This is a move the president started in 2016 though it gained momentum in September 2023 as a bid to promote local production and consumption by creating more textile industries and jobs for local youth.

The East African Community trade bloc to which Uganda belongs is also trying to stop shipment of second hand clothes, saying that the business amounts to dumping and undermines the growth local textile industries however most governments have not enforced it at the same pace.

Here is what can be done to curb the surge in plastic pollution crisis arising from importation of second hand clothes;

Create awareness. Government of Uganda, organizations and environmental concerned initiatives should carry out mass awareness programmes as well as physical awareness trainings, develop projects and programs to enable citizens and traders to learn about the negative impacts and costs of dealing second hand clothes on the environment and human wealth as well.

Enforce existing laws and bans on importation. The government of Uganda and concerned authorities like KCCA, KACITA, Market Vendors Associations and Trade Unions should enforce the laws onto Uganda traders who are so bent on importing second hand clothes without taking into consideration the environmental costs.

The government should support and improve the existing local textile industries like NYTIL to enhance the use of environmentally friendly fibers like cotton, sisal which pose less environmental damages in production and consumption as well.

Extended Producer Responsibility schemes and initiatives. Polluters have to be held accountable, textiles brands such Dolce and Gabana, Addidas, Nike, Puma, among others should try to follow up their products (clothes) to the end of their life cycle. Polluting companies have to take responsibility for their waste and support local communities and waste workers to collect and recover their material as well us support the repurposing of their fabrics instead of dumping them into landfills. The government put across mandatory eco-design requirements for both local and imported textile to reduce the influx of used clothes.

Tariffs on new clothes must be addressed as well as subsidies for local textile industries that are ready to use more eco-friendly options including cotton and sisal which are in abundance in the Uganda.

Governments negotiating a global plastics treaty must deliver on putting a cap on plastic production and put measures to hold countries and corporations accountable for plastic pollution. The global plastics treaty must tackle address the issue of waste colonialism where huge amounts of textile waste from the global north has found its way into the global south countries. All countries and corporations should be responsible for how they produce, use and dispose of their waste.