by Eric Habimana

80 percent of the plastic water bottles we buy end up in landfills. Where landfills are overflowing with more than 2 million tons of discarded water bottles. It takes up to 1,000 years for every single bottle of water to decompose. Each bottle leaks harmful chemicals into our environment along the way as it decomposes. Plastic water bottles contain chemicals, and those chemicals can leach into the water. This plastic leachate can have detrimental health effects on consumers. At certain levels of exposure, some of the chemicals in plastic, especially the chemical known as bisphenol A (BPA), have even been implicated as carcinogens.

Mostly, Plastics pollution has a direct and deadly effect on wildlife.Plastic pollution has far-reaching implications for local communities by posing a public health risk, decreasing fish stock, and contributing to climate change. Communities in developing countries are particularly vulnerable to the effects of plastic pollution.

Through the Community debate on the Women inputs to prevent the Plastic Items Effects on Climate Change. Residents of Gasabo District, Nduba sector, Gasanze cell, Uruhetse village are asking the leadership in different institutions that when there is a campaign for the people to go and get tested for different diseases to know their health status, they have requested this in the Urugoli media campaign to maintain environmental protection from plastic and other non-biodegradable wastes.

They have emphasized that there are activities that are organized as to educate them to know how to protect the environment which is good, but it would be better if the organizers have also worked with the relevant institutions so that they can participate in these educations and know how their lives are, as they told the journalist of 'urugoli.com when this newspaper visited them in a campaign to preserve the environment in this sector of Nduba.

They said that “it’s really good because there are many activities we used to do without knowing that they harmed the environment, but when we were told that we are going to protect it, we also facilitate those who are not here that are still doing activities that harm the environment, But we only asked the government and others who have the responsibility that when you come to talk to us, that you can bring doctors examine us to help us to know how our health is, because if you protect the environment, its better also to protect your health".

On the side of Diane Mushimiyimana, the Managing Director of Urugoli Media says that what the people are asking for is the beginning that is why what the people have wanted to be added will also be considered and they will approach the Ministry of Health and other government agencies so that they can work closely together. This is the diagnosis where they are going to campaign.

She said, that "when you start receiving requests and also receiving questions, we had prepared a campaign to preserve the environment, but wherever we went to support it, whether it was in the Muhanga district, Shyogwe Sector, we started this request and they gave it to us, not even here in Gasabo. Now we are going to start working with them, so that instead of supporting the people, we will let them know how they are doing”.

Munyarugero Eugene, Director of the Gasovu health center in Muhanga District, says that no one would refuse to give the people a test to know their health status. And also says that if there is anything they can do for instance during community debate, they will tell them and join them because they like doctors, are the best way to convey their message to the people, and the testing programs or other clinics that they provide reach the people, and it is also very helpful, especially because the people know the state of their health. it is their right.

Nearly half of all plastic products are discarded after a single use and take up to 1000 years to disintegrate. Larger items, such as plastic bags and straws, can choke and starve marine life, while smaller fragments (microplastics) can cause liver, reproductive, and gastrointestinal damage in animals.