Ondangwa emerges clean as new grass
More than a dozen organisations pooled their manpower last week Friday to clean Ondangwa up from end to end. The annual cleanup campaign, steered by the Ondangwa Town Council, has been running since 2001.
About 1500 people turned up voluntarily to assist in cleaning up the town, which includes representatives from the business sector, non-governmental organizations, government and residents of Ondangwa. The collected waste was processed by the Recycle Namibia Forum who reported that the latest campaign was again a roaring success.
The volunteers included employees of the Ondangwa Town Council; members of the Namibia Defence Force, members of Correctional Services, Cosdec Training Centre, Oshikoto Regional Education, Kayec Trust, Lenyfas College of Andragogy, local schools and Ondangwa residents. Cleansing Officer, Environmental Health Department at the Ondangwa Town Council, Loide Shiimi said “We are always excited about this annual initiative which causes a clean and well preserved environment, which is likely to attract investors and visitors alike. A dirty environment leads to health risks, and with the ever-increasing use of technology and industries flourishing, the amount of pollution in our environment is increasing at a rapid pace.”
This is the second consecutive year that the Recycle Forum Namibia and its members, the O&L Group and its subsidiaries – Namibia Breweries Limited and Pick n Pay, drove and supported the campaign. Coca Cola Namibia and Plastic Packaging also joined the collaborative effort.
Recycle Forum Coordinator, Anita Witt said“The Ondangwa Clean-up campaign is possibly the largest clean-up campaign in Namibia with an impressive showcase of an entire community at work, and doing so with great spirit and enthusiasm. The involvement and support of schools, the local business sector and others make this a stand-out initiative.”
“We are confident that this clean-up campaign has the potential to be a leader in contributing to recyclables collected, thus minimizing the volumes sent to the local dumpsite. The Recycle Forum is honoured to be involved with the Ondangwa Clean-Up campaign. We would like to thank the Town Council and all the people of Ondangwa, and urge them to continue with this great initiative, and for inviting us to become involved as well” she continued.
The Mayor of Ondangwa, His Worship, Cllr. Paavo Amwele stressed the value initiatives such as the clean-up campaign add to the future of the town. “Ondangwa has massive growth potential, but we can only achieve that when the residents, as well as business sector work together with the town council to keep the town clean and attractive to further unlocking investments to Ondangwa” he stated.
During the prize-giving ceremony, organizations were recognized for their efforts to keep the town clean, while those who made an effort to implement the 3 R’s (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) received special awards. “The efforts of the Town Council and others involved in the campaign are indeed appreciated, with a local resident confirming that ‘there is a marked improvement in the cleanliness of our town, compared to previous years’” Witt concluded.
