Absalom Shigwedha
WINDHOEK – The National Solid Waste Management Advisory Panel has been tasked to investigate the complete banning of plastics in Namibia, says the Chief Public Relations Officer in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Romeo Muyunda.
Muyunda said the environment and tourism ministry is waiting for the approval for the introduction of the plastic levy in the country but, the panel has been asked to see how the use of plastic in Namibia can completely be banned. “The panel is still working on this,” he reiterated.
All these efforts, he said, are being made to towards environmental protection in Namibia. He explained that on September 21, 2019 four mobile recycling sites will be rolled out to four towns. The recycling sites will be placed at Rundu. Okaukuejo, Divundu and Otjiwarongo.
Muyunda was responding to a question by New Era as to what major progress has been made so far towards the management of solid waste in the country.
Last month, Environment and Tourism Minister, Pohamba Shifeta, officially launched eleven dumpsites during the 5th Session of the National Solid Waste Management Advisory Panel held at Walvis Bay.
These are the Walvis Bat dumpsite, Kupferberg landfill in Windhoek, Epukiro dumpsite, Oshakati dumpsite, Eheke dumpsite, Okahao dumpsite, Ruacana dumpsite, Ondangwa dumpsite, Tsandi dumpsite and Oranjemund dumpsite.
According to the National Solid Waste Management Strategy launched, Namibia want to be the leading country in Africa in terms of standards of solid waste management by the year 2028.
In the foreword to the document, Shifeta said waste management has become a pressing national issue and poses significant threat to human beings and environmental health. The strategy has been approved by Cabinet and the National Solid Waste Management Advisory Panel will guide the implementation of the strategy.
The strategy covers all solid waste excluding sludge from wastewater management and radioactive waste. It says this is because sludge is covered by sanitation policies and functions while radioactive waste is a very specific waste covered under other policies and functions.
Regulations for solid waste management were developed and finalised in terms of Section 5 of the Environmental Management Act (No:7 of 2007).
They were developed through consultative process and with the financial support from the GIZ-funded Biodiversity and Climate Change Management II project (in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism). However, they have not yet been gazetted.