The Recycle Namibia Forum (RNF), a non-profit and membership-driven organisation, recently launched its new education campaign with the introduction of a mascot named Rubbish Ronnie. 

The launch on 28 October 2022 introduced Rubbish Ronnie, designed to teach children about the 7 Rs and to rethink tomorrow by way of song and dance. 

The 7 Rs are Rethink, Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Regift and Recycle. This project takes the place of the long-running Schools Recycling Competition, in which close to 50 schools participated annually.  During the launch, guest speaker, Selma Lendelvo, highlighted the importance of creating environmental awareness amongst the youth today, given that they are to be the leaders of tomorrow. Gloudi de Beer, former chairperson of the RNF, stated: “We have to start bringing the message home that we need to rethink the future by reconsidering how we approach waste”. 

The mascot was thus designed and constructed in Windhoek and well-known local musician, DJ Castro, came on board by composing the catchy Rubbish Ronnie song. The production of the soundtrack was also done locally, with learners of Cimbebasia Primary School joining the initiative to film the dance routine together with Rubbish Ronnie and DJ Castro.

DJ Castro highlighted his commitment towards youth education via his charity campaign, ‘Let’s Unite’, which has been running for almost six years. 

“We have been helping children from different schools with stationery, uniforms, etc., and along the way, my connection with children grew. I am always happy to help because I believe in the youth of tomorrow.” Schools are encouraged to sing and dance to the Rubbish Ronnie song and to submit their videos to the RNF.  Rubbish Ronnie’s dialogue will be adapted to suit the circumstances of the respective communities. 

Schools are also invited to create their own board games, incorporating the challenges they face within their own communities, together with their proposed solutions.