| dc.description.abstract | In an effort to determine the effects of using plastic bags on the environment, a descriptive study
was conducted using a questionnaire administered to a randomly selected sample of 96 respondents
around Makerere University.
Descriptive statistics, Chi Square tests and ANOVA were used to analyze the data. From the study
findings, the individual’s income levels and education levels had a significant relationship with
usage of plastic bags (p-value<0.05). From the study findings, 88% of the respondents were using
plastic bags as their main shopping bags, majority (51%) were using plastic bags because they
were cost effective/cheap, 21% said they liked plastic bags because they are convenient, and the
rest (28%) said that they used the plastic bags because the alternatives are expensive and hard to
find. Most of the respondents (51%) said they dispose off their plastic waste through waste
collectors, 20% burn their plastic waste, 16% reported to be using community bins, 11% litter them
anywhere, and the rest 2% were recycling. The choice of using a plastic bag depended on the level
of income and education level of the individual.
Majority of the respondents (54%) reported blockage of the drainage system as their biggest
challenge of the plastic waste, (24%)reported that plastic waste can be a habitat for mosquitoes,
17% said plastic bags degrade the cultivatable land leading to soil infertility and the rest (5%)
reported plastic waste as one of the causes of animal death.
It was therefore concluded that high use of plastic bags was associated with high prices of the
alternative environmentally friendly bags and lack of awareness among masses on the negative
consequences of plastic waste on the environment.
It is recommended that shopping nets or cotton bags should be brought when going out for
shopping. The government or other environmental activists should endeavor to educate and create
awareness of the negative effects of plastic bag usage. | en_US |
