Making Bulago island plastic free

Coca-Cola Beverages Uganda has unveiled a partnership with Kuokoa, an NGO operating in Bulago Island, supported by One Minute South and a group of fishermen to collect back plastic waste as well  carrying out a community awareness campaign to help sensitize and amplify the plastic collection effort with a drive to a commitment of a World without waste.

In January 2018, James Quincey, the Coca cola global CEO announced an industry-first goal which is to help collect a bottle or can, for everyone that the Company sells by the year 2030, to create a world without waste.

Simon Kaheru, Public Affairs & Communications Director Coca-Cola Beverages Uganda noted that, "In Uganda we have been working towards this goal over a long time, through Plastic Recycling Industries (PRI), our plastic collection and recycling subsidiary located in Nakawa. We have accepted this responsibility and are taking the right steps to help solve this problem. We’re working to bring people together to help us collect and recycle a bottle or can for every one we sell."

“Food and beverage packaging is an important part of our modern lives, yet the world has a packaging problem, which we as CCBA, together with The Coca-Cola Company, have a responsibility to help solve. Clearly, plastics are a significant global challenge. Our commitment is to invest in our planet and our packaging, to help make the world’s packaging problem a problem of the past, focusing on PET plastic”.

Through PRI, we are working to give every package more than one life while contributing to job creation, local product solutions and growing adjacent local industries,” he added.

Kaheru explained the importance of partnerships & community cleanup activities in achieving this goal, “We want to support the Government’s environmental management objectives by making recycling more accessible for everybody to get involved.”

We are excited about our partnership with Kuokoa, as we today receive the first batch of plastic they have been collecting while sensitizing the fishing community in Bulago Island about responsible disposal of plastic.

"Every day, discarded plastics pollute our land and water. They end up in our food, with the risk of affecting our health. Discarded plastics impact Uganda’s most precious resources: our wildlife, the environment and the Ugandan people. It is our responsibility to stand up to the challenge! Today’s community effort on Bulago island has shown that team work can help us have a positive impact on our surroundings.” Niall Readfern-Director Kuokoa

"We recognize the support of Ggaba landing site local council that accepted to work with us to sensitise the community / fishermen so that they can contribute to a more sustainable and climate conscious Uganda through this initiative and openly contributing towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)"

"Lake Victoria is our major source of water in the region, we have the responsibility to keep it clean and free of plastic, that is why we focus on the life under water."

'SDG14: We are working to protect aquatic life. That is by preventing and significantly reducing marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities. Concerning this, we advocate for plastic recycle.'

'SDG 15: To protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably combat desertification, and reverse land degradation by 2025.'

Kaheru noted that this is done by safely disposing and collecting plastic through Plastic recycling industries to stop it from destroying the environment and they have so far collected back 62% of the plastic produced by CCBA in Uganda.