Waste management company Rent-A-Drum has stepped in to help clean up an open area near a kindergarten in an informal settlement in Windhoek following an article by The Namibian about garbage uncollected for over 30 years.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Rent-A-Drum says the article, published on 23 June under the headline ‘Waiting 33 years for garbage collection’, exposed the waste-management challenges faced by residents in the location and safety hazard for children.
The Namibian reported that residents in this location use the site near the kindergarten as their toilet. They do not have toilets or skip bins with only three taps shared among nearly 1 500 people.
Rent-A-Drum says the article prompted the company to clean up the area to create a cleaner and safer environment for children and the surrounding community, while also drawing attention to the importance of proper waste management.
“Reading about the conditions at Epandulo made us realise we could do more than simply be aware of the problem. We could take action,” it says.
The initiative also seeks to raise awareness about the importance of proper waste management and the need for communities and stakeholders to work together to address sanitation challenges.
However, it says cleaning up alone can only provide temporary relief, with lasting improvements depending on sustainable waste-disposal solutions and continued community involvement.
Epandulo, in Windhoek’s Moses //Garoeb constituency, has endured sanitation challenges for 33 years.
Residents resort to using plastic bags and buckets at night, and the open area near the kindergarten during the day.
Epandulo is among Windhoek’s informal settlements battling sanitation issues.
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