In a decisive move to combat environmental degradation, the Ministry of Environment has unveiled an initiative that will see the imposition of environmental impact fees on all plastic bottles.
Joseph Africano Bartel, the Undersecretary of Environment within the Ministry, announced these plans during a press conference held in Juba on Friday.
“We are going to have an environmental fee on these bottles,” declared Africano. He elucidated, “Ministry of Finance has granted approval for a fee structure of 10 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) for 500 ml plastic bottles and 20 SSP for larger sizes. This escalates the price, so a bottle originally costing 200 SSP will now be priced at 210 SSP or 220 SSP, depending on its size.”
Africano emphasized the motivation behind these fees, stating, “That environmental fee is designed to reflect the true cost of waste disposal; if you discard a plastic bottle carelessly, you are effectively discarding 10 or 20 SSP. However, there’s a mechanism to retrieve this fee: by returning the plastic bottle to designated collection points, individuals can claim their 10 SSP back.” He underscored that an accredited recycling company would ensure these returned plastic bottles are properly recycled.
In response to concerns regarding the state of Juba’s cleanliness, Africano clarified, “We are not Juba City Council; we’re a policy-making body. Cleaning Juba is a shared responsibility that extends beyond our ministry.”
The Ministry also disclosed a forthcoming project with far-reaching impacts. Africano shared, “On Monday next week, we are signing an agreement for the establishment of the state of art climate early warning system for South Sudan simply because with that early warning system, floods will not find us unprepared, heat wave we can predict them months before they hit we can also know whether we are going to have sufficient rains to sustain our agriculture.
“We’re set to finalize a 10 million U.S. dollars agreement to bolster the government’s and communities’ ability to adapt to climate change effects. This initiative will encompass a comprehensive public information campaign covering various aspects of climate change readiness, including early warnings for events like heatwaves, rainfall patterns, floods, and droughts,” he revealed.
Outlining the practical implications of the project, Africano further stated, “The establishment of the State of Earth Early Warning System for South Sudan will be a game-changer. With this system in place, floods will not catch us off-guard, and heat waves can be predicted months ahead. Moreover, we can better anticipate the adequacy of rainfall to sustain our crucial agricultural sector.”