Lira City – August 14, 2025
A fresh wave of environmental innovation is sweeping through Lira City, as GLOFORD Uganda, with support from Wood en daad, launches an ambitious “Wealth from Waste” project. This new intervention aims not just to manage waste, but to transform it into business opportunities and jobs for the region’s young people.
In Lira, the conversation around waste is shifting—from disposal to transformation. Every day, the city generates more than 150 tons of waste, ranging from household rubbish and abattoir leftovers to the fast-growing problem of electronic waste.
Tapping into the Waste Value Chain
The initiative is targeting the Lango, Teso, and Acholi subregions, empowering youth to participate in every stage of the waste value chain: sorting, collection, storage, and recycling. This approach not only addresses environmental concerns but also opens doors for entrepreneurship and employment.
“Businesses that generate significant waste must be part of the solution,” local officials emphasize, highlighting the importance of shared responsibility. Uganda produces over 600 tons of plastic waste annually, with 94% ending up burned, buried, or dumped—posing severe risks to both the environment and public health.
Policy and Community Engagement
Lira City has adopted a ‘polluter pays’ model, requiring waste generators to take financial responsibility for disposal. While the policy has been praised for holding polluters accountable, concerns remain about high charges and the lack of awareness in rural communities newly absorbed into the city boundaries.
E-waste is emerging as a particularly urgent challenge, compounded by the fact that more than half of Uganda’s youth are currently unemployed, out of school, or not in training.
A Clear Mandate
The Wealth from Waste project’s priorities are clear:
- Reduce and reuse waste
- Establish fair and transparent collection systems
- Ensure safe disposal methods
- Engage communities in awareness campaigns
- Track and measure environmental impact
With its blend of environmental stewardship and economic opportunity, GLOFORD Uganda’s effort is setting the stage for a cleaner, more prosperous Lira—where waste is no longer a problem to bury, but a resource to harness.
