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NEMA TO BAN IMPORTATION OF SECOND-HAND REFRIGERATORS

By Stephen Ssenkaaba, The Monitor

UGANDA, 1 May 2002 -- In a bid to protect the ozone layer, the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) is to put in place laws to phase out the importation and use of second-hand refrigerators in the country, the director for Environmental Monitoring and Compliance, Charles Ssebukeera has said. "As a signatory to the Montreal protocol which bans the use of material harzadous to the environment, Uganda is obliged to stop the importation and use of any material harzadous to the environment, Ssebukeera said. He said that the importation of second-hand materials, mostly refrigerators from industrialised countries has become a lucrative business in Uganda and in many developing countries. "When these used refrigerators are disposed of by the developed countries, they are exported to developing countries and sold here," he said. "This is a big threat to our environment because these machines emit bad gases which affect the ozone layer. This has adversely affected our agricultural production and led to increasing droughts due to global warming," Ssebukeera said. He said that in collaboration with government, NEMA has formed the Uganda Refrigeration Association where members (owners of refrigerators and cooling systems) are trained on how to recycle the gases emitted from their machines. He however observed that while Uganda is trying to be strict on environmental conservation, neighbouring countries have not yet followed suit and as a result, most of the environmentally hazardous materials come here across the borders from these countries. Copyright The Monitor. Distributed by All Africa Global Media(AllAfrica.com)

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