Uganda celebrates World Consumer Rights Day

  23rd March , 2021 ,       Hits: 1843

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) joins the world to celebrate the International World Consumer Rights Day, this Monday 15th March 2021, under the theme: ‘Tackling Plastic Pollution.”

During the celebrations, UNBS reiterates the call to all plastic carrier bag manufacturers to ensure that they have plastic waste recycling plants, the public to adhere to the ban on sachet alcohol and the ban on drinking water packaged in polythene bags.

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) has played a role in Tackling Plastic Pollution in Uganda by;

• Enforcing the May 2015 directive by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives to ensure that all plastic carrier bag manufacturers have a plastic waste recycling plant before getting the UNBS certification mark.
• Enforcing the ban on sachet alcohol, following a cabinet directive issued in 2017, banning consumption and sale of alcohol in sachet and in bottles less than 200mls. Much as the ban is aimed at combating the excessive and unregulated consumption of Alcohol in Uganda, it also reduces the amount of plastic waste in form of sachets, which could have increased the rate of plastic pollution in the country.
• Enforcing the Uganda standard US EAS 13: 2018, Packaged mineral waters — Specification (3rd Edition), which prohibits the packaging of water in polythene bags. According to the standard, drinking water MUST be packaged in appropriate food grade materials. This also is a contribution to the reduction of plastic pollution in the country.

UNBS is to continue enforcing the directives in line with its mandate of enforcing standards in protection of public health and safety and the environment against dangerous and sub-standard products.

The international consumer rights day, first celebrated in 1983, is observed every 15th of March as a means of raising global awareness about consumer rights and needs.

About UNBS

The Uganda National Bureau of Standards is a statutory body responsible for formulation, promotion and enforcement of standards in protection of public health and safety and the environment against dangerous and sub-standard products.

For more information, please contact:

Uganda National Bureau of Standards,

Bweyogerere Industrial Park,

Plot 2 - 12, Kyaliwajjala Road,

P.O Box 6329 Kampala, Uganda

Tel: 0417333250

E-mail: info@unbs.go.ug / ed@unbs.go.ug

Website: www.unbs.go.ug