Dirty air isn’t the only problem. Along with vehicle or related equipment maintenance comes poor waste management. Lack of any standards around the handling of waste lubricants, often means toxic substances like engine oil are dumped or spilled, ultimately becoming washed away into water bodies or absorbed into soils. This has devastating implications for an economy built almost entirely on agriculture.

This only serves to propel an already chronic pattern of injustice and poverty in Africa.

Poor waste lubricant management is very common in motor garages within Uganda.

The way most mechanics in garages, technicians at service stations and factories handle waste lubricants leaves too much space for increased soil, water and air pollution. This project involves raising awareness and building capacity of technician communities to handle waste oil products in proper ways to reduce spillages and misuse.

For insatnce, its very common for heavy goods vehicles to breakdown along major roads in Uganda; and repairs are always done from the same point. Without any handling plan for waste lubricants, they always leave heavy oil spills that are either washed away into water bodies by the rains or absorbed into the soils.

Using used oil for oil changes by some local mechanics is also a common practice - worsening exhaust emissions. We are making arrangements to set up an oil recycling system that will collect and recycle used oils from vehicle repair/service centres and factories.

The project implementation isn’t in full effect yet but we are seeking resources to do so.