Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on waste management by Rundu and Opuwo last month, the two town councils reiterated their commitment to waste management with the launch of a ‘zero-waste’ campaign at Opuwo on Friday.

The initiative seeks to convert waste materials into valuable resources and eliminate trash, rendering Opuwo and Rundu the cleanest towns in Namibia while simultaneously reducing hunger in their communities.

The MoU was signed in Rundu on 07 March 2024, committing to ‘Go Zero Waste’ as a means of halting trash disposal into landfills.

Opuwo Mayor Rosa Mbinge-Tjeundo at the launch said that the collaboration is critical to eliminating waste while emphasising and encouraging that trash should not be discarded but rather recycled as a means of eradicating hunger, which includes the sale of waste recycling enterprises for product manufacture.

‘I implore you to utilise the waste you collect in town to be able to give you profits and end hunger,’ she went on to say.

Ru
ndu Mayor Gabriel Kanyanga on his part, said the waste generated in towns may be converted into green pastures that will abolish hunger.

He stated that a board was formed to ensure that the campaign is realised. Kanyanga is the chairperson of the board, to be deputised by Mbinge-Tjeundo, while the chairpersons of the management committee of both town councils are the spokespersons, and their chief executive officers will serve as treasurers.

He said the board will not administer the programme; instead, the community will run it under the board’s oversight.

‘This board or these local authorities will not be the one running the campaign within our respective towns, instead the concept will be given to our communities and they will be the ones running the initiative,’ he said.

He also urged the Opuwo community to adapt and adjust to their duties.

‘We are so happy that the community of Opuwo stood up in numbers to come and listen to the launch to take up the ownership of the waste,’ he noted, adding that bot
h councils also decided to organise an extensive cleanup campaign on 17 May 2024.

Furthermore, the mayor challenged the community to devise creative methods to turn rubbish into usable products to generate cash.

Source: Namibia Press Agency