Tourism focuses on waste management

JANA-MARI SMITH As Namibia’s tourism industry continues to grow, the link between waste management and sustainable tourism is gaining increasing attention.Speaking at the Tourism Network Conference hosted at the 2019 Namibia Tourism Expo yesterday, several speakers highlighted the crucial role of sustainable waste management in preserving the environment and ensuring that the country remains a top attraction for visitors.The benefits of reusing and recycling waste were discussed too.Sem Shikongo of the environment and tourism industry, who facilitated the networking event, said it would serve as a platform to “discuss and rethink waste”.Hazel Milne of Eco Awards Namibia said in her experience “waste management often is the stepchild of sustainable tourism. It’s that part that people shy away from.”She listed a number of best practices in waste management that Namibians within the tourism industry, as well as in private households and businesses, can implement to help reduce, recycle and reuse waste.She said although some tour companies and other institutions have implemented sustainable waste management systems, the fact is that every single Namibian can do something to help address the global problem of waste accumulation.Milne said recent studies have shown that three billion people in the world live without access to waste management services, while 50 million people live on or next to massive waste dumps.“Waste has a greater health impact than malaria worldwide,” Milne said.Prosper Mageza of the Tour and Safari Association of Namibia (Tasa) said the organisation encourages its members to practice sustainable tourism, which is closely linked to waste management.“Savvy travellers are now choosing to book more tour destinations that preserve the environment instead of harming it,” he said.HarmMageza warned that a lack of waste management, especially in national parks, poses a threat to animals, the natural environment and people.He shared photos of rubbish accumulated at popular travel destinations such as Etosha National Park, and said improper waste management can unleash a host of problems.One of these he said, is the threat rubbish poses to wildlife and to guests, as wildlife are often attracted to waste left behind by guests, and in turn pose a threat to people.Broken, insufficient and badly labelled rubbish bins are the key drivers of these problems.Recently, he said, rangers had to shoot a baboon that had been attracted to a guest camp by food waste and posed a threat to the guests.“The threat is real, especially for the animals. Not just in Etosha, it’s everywhere you go.”He said improper waste management can also lead to water, air and soil pollution, as well as the spread of diseases.Mageza called on tour operators to reduce waste and help promote recycling and reuse.He said a 2009 study found that 55% of waste dumped at Kupferberg on the outskirts of Windhoek was non-recyclable material. This shows that although recycling and reuse are essential, reducing waste is the best way forward.“If we can reduce more waste then we won’t have so much to reuse and recycle.”Mageza suggested a number of steps the tourism industry can take to become proactive in waste management, including creating awareness and offering guests and staff incentives to be more environmentally responsible.Daniel Kavishe, group economist at First National Bank Namibia, opened the networking conference by saying that waste can be used in innovative ways to generate energy while at the same time keeping towns clean.“There is more that we need to think about when we talk about waste,” he said.He added that preserving the natural landscapes Namibia’s tourism industry depends on is vital to ensuring that the sector continues to grow.The conference also included talks by Benedict Libanda of the Environmental Investment Fund on the green economy; by the managing director of Old Mutual Short Term Insurance, Riaan Vermeulen, on insurance solutions for tourism businesses; and by Lisa Scriven of Utopia Consulting on waste management and sustainable tourism.

Tourism focuses on waste management

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Namibian Sun 2026-04-17

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Tourism focuses on waste management

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Namibian Sun 2026-04-17

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