NamiGreen and MultiChoice make e-waste history

MARISELLE STOFBERG NamiGreen is an e-waste company that recycles electronic waste (e-waste) in Namibia. Their mission is to keep the Namibian environment and Africa green and healthy by recycling electronic waste. They decided to take hands with MultiChoice Zambia, who had a lot of e-waste they wanted to dispose of.“We are making history here because the Namibian and Zambian customs have never moved this type of cargo, in this case e-waste, from Zambia to Namibia,” said Per Hansen, CEO of NamiGreen.Discussions started in May 2019 and in March 2020 the truck with the e-waste arrived in Windhoek. “It was a lengthy process as many stakeholders needed to be involved and lots of paperwork needed to done. There are many local and international rules and regulations to adhere to when you have waste across borders,” Hansen said. Hansen further stated that there is a lack of proper e-waste recycling facilities in Zambia to handle load sizes such as this case properly, and that was why they decided to move the e-waste to Namibia where NamiGreen has the facility and expertise to recycle the waste.“With the help of Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Namibia (MET), and the Zambian Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA), Transworld Cargo and MultiChoice Zambia, NamiGreen has moved 15 tonnes of electronic waste from Lusaka,” Hansen added. Hansen said the electronic waste comprised mostly of broken or damaged DStv boxes, cables, broken and old computers. “Everything is recycled in Namibia and nothing is landfilled, which means that nothing will pollute the precious Namibian environment.”Hansen has been working closely with Owen Maasdorp from Transworld Cargo, who he believes has been instrumental in making this venture happen. “Without his expertise and knowledge in the customs practices, moving cargo across borders and making sure everything was in proper order, this would not have been possible.”Main objectiveHe added that the main objective of the company has always been job creation, a cleaner environment and as added benefit they see it as strengthening the ties between the two economies of Namibia and Zambia.NamiGreen has created various job opportunities in Namibia to handle the growing amounts of e-waste and now has eight full-time employees involved in the operations. “In 2019 we recycled 103 000 kg of e-waste. In 2020, NamiGreen expects to double that rate as the premier e-waste recycler in Namibia,” Hansen concluded.

NamiGreen and MultiChoice make e-waste history

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-07-03

Please login to leave a comment

NamiGreen and MultiChoice make e-waste history

Comments

Namibian Sun 2025-07-03

Please login to leave a comment

Login