By Ben Musanje
A new wave of environmental action is sweeping across Uganda as Crown Beverages Limited launches another powerful step in the fight against plastic pollution through its Tweyambe Program, a bold initiative aimed at cleaning the country and protecting communities from the growing danger of plastic waste.
The latest move saw Crown Beverages Limited open a plastic waste collection centre in Kyengera Town Council in Wakiso District, turning what was once a growing environmental threat into a new opportunity for recycling, employment and environmental protection.
Rogers Anguzu, the Commercial Manager at Crown Beverages Limited, explained that the company decided to act after realizing that many of the plastic bottles used to package sodas were ending up carelessly thrown into the environment. The discarded plastics have been clogging drainage channels, polluting the soil and contributing to floods that threaten communities.
Through the Tweyambe Program, the company is now working with partners that specialize in collecting plastic waste from the environment. These partners gather the bottles, sort them and deliver them to recycling plants where they are processed and turned into new materials that can be used again.
The vision behind the program is simple but powerful. If the company produces and sells millions of plastic bottles, those same bottles should not remain as waste in the environment. Instead, they should be collected, recycled and returned into production again so that fewer new plastics are released into nature.
The long-term goal is to drastically reduce the amount of virgin plastic entering the environment while at the same time removing the plastic waste that already threatens communities.
Anguzu revealed that the initiative is not driven by profit. The company does not earn revenue from the plastic collection exercise and instead spends its own money to make the program work. According to him, the initiative is part of the company’s commitment as a Ugandan business that cares about the country and its environment.
Under the program, Crown Beverages Limited provides equipment and logistical support to waste collection partners so they can work more efficiently. This includes supplying baling machines that compress plastic bottles into compact blocks and tricycles commonly known as tuk-tuks that move around communities collecting waste from homes and surrounding areas.
These machines help reduce the space plastics take up, making it easier to transport larger amounts to recycling plants.
So far, the company has established seven plastic waste collection hubs across Uganda, with Kyengera becoming the latest addition. The plan is to expand to at least ten centres in the current phase before moving to a second phase that will spread the initiative even further across the country.
Pearl Kitimbo, the Brand and Communications Manager at Crown Beverages Limited, explained that the company’s role in the program is to empower waste collectors and make recycling faster and more efficient.
She said plastic bottles usually take up a lot of space when transported in their original form, filling trucks quickly and slowing down recycling efforts. To solve this challenge, the company provides baler machines that compress the bottles into dense blocks weighing up to 100 kilograms.
This allows trucks to carry far more plastic waste in a single trip, making recycling faster and more effective.
Kitimbo added that the company works with waste collection companies such as Reclaim at the Kyengera hub. With the help of the machines provided by Crown Beverages Limited, these collectors can gather larger amounts of plastic from communities and send them for recycling more efficiently.
The program has already spread to several parts of Uganda including Fort Portal, Kasese, Gulu, Hoima, Mbale and Jinja, with Kyengera becoming the seventh hub in the growing network.
For communities around Kyengera Town Council, the impact of the project is already being felt.
Ambrose Yerinde, the Environment Officer for Kyengera Town Council in Wakiso District, described the initiative as a major breakthrough for both environmental protection and economic development in the area.
According to Yerinde, the hub has already created employment opportunities for the local community. About 50 people are working at the facility, and half of them are women while many are young people.
He said the project is not only creating jobs but also helping to reduce the environmental damage caused by plastic waste.
Plastics, especially PET bottles, do not decompose naturally. When dumped carelessly, they pollute the soil, weaken its fertility and destroy the natural environment. They also block drainage channels, which can lead to severe flooding during heavy rains.
Yerinde noted that irresponsible disposal of plastics has been a major challenge in many communities where people often throw bottles into drainage channels, wetlands or open spaces.
The new collection hub now gives residents a safer option. People can bring their used plastic bottles to the centre or store them until collectors come to pick them up from their neighborhoods.
Once collected, the plastics are compressed into heavy blocks of about 100 kilograms and transported to recycling plants where they are turned into reusable materials.
Local leaders believe the initiative will help transform waste management in the area while protecting wetlands, preventing floods and improving public health.
As plastic waste continues to threaten cities and towns across the country, the Tweyambe Program is quickly becoming one of the most visible corporate environmental actions in Uganda.
With more collection hubs planned and stronger partnerships forming between companies, waste collectors and local authorities, the fight against plastic pollution is gaining momentum.
For Crown Beverages Limited, the message behind the Tweyambe Program is clear: protecting the environment is a shared responsibility, and every bottle collected is a step toward a cleaner and safer Uganda. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
