Kabuuma youth turn plastic into public art

In Kabuuma on the outskirts of Kampala, plastic waste once told a familiar story, bags drifting into gardens, bottles clogging drainage channels, and smoke from burning rubbish hanging in the air near Lake Victoria. Today, that same ground tells a different story. Rising from what was once an informal dumping site are bold public sculptures made entirely from single-use plastic, impossible to ignore, and designed to make people look twice.

At the centre of the transformation is Joachim Ogwado, who mobilised local youth to collect discarded polythene bags, bottles, packaging waste, and even used PPE, then turn it into art using weaving and sculpting techniques at PlastikTalks. With support from the Kuonyesha Art Fund, the project grew into exhibitions and community learning, helping residents recognise their own waste in a new form, and sparking conversations about disposal, burning plastics, and environmental health.

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