Rundu tackles bin shortage as garbage piles up

The Rundu Town Council says it is addressing a severe shortage of skip bins but has also urged residents to use the available bins responsibly instead of dumping waste on streets and in other public areas.The comments come amid growing complaints from residents about the shortage, with many saying existing bins fill up quickly, leading to illegal dumping and the accumulation of rubbish around collection points. Several informal settlements also continue to lack access to skip bins."We do not have sufficient skip containers that can be placed throughout the town," Rundu Town Council strategic executive for community services Fransiska Kupembona told Namibian Sun.The council currently operates about 16 skip containers across Rundu, strategically placed at major waste disposal points.However, Kupembona acknowledged that this number is not sufficient to meet growing demand.She said the impact of the shortage is most visible in informal settlements, where the municipality has been unable to extend consistent waste removal services because of resource constraints."Our wish is to have more resources in place so that we can service areas where we are currently not rendering waste removal services," she said.Restrictions Kupembona said council continues to prioritise formalised residential areas in its waste management operations while attempting to stretch limited resources to cover other parts of the town where possible.The municipality has begun taking steps to improve the situation by increasing the number of skip containers."As we speak, we are in the process of procuring additional skip containers," Kupembona said.However, she cautioned that the intervention will only partially ease the pressure on the system."It will not be sufficient, but we are trying to procure what we can with the available resources," she added.Shared responsibilityKupembona stressed that while the shortage affects waste disposal, the town is also grappling with illegal dumping, which poses environmental and public health challenge.In many cases, waste is left next to skip containers instead of being disposed of inside them.She urged residents to use the available facilities responsibly and support the council's efforts to maintain a clean urban environment."The environment belongs to all of us," she said.

Rundu tackles bin shortage as garbage piles up

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Namibian Sun 2026-07-01

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Rundu tackles bin shortage as garbage piles up

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Namibian Sun 2026-07-01

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