Ohorongo Cement will ensure that selected non-recyclable materials collected during-, and after the upcoming National Clean-Up Day, does not end up in landfills.
Many towns in Namibia are currently struggling to properly dispose of plastics and other non-recycable material, which merely ends up on rubbish dumps and in landfills. This is detrimental to the environment and the health of Namibians countrywide.
Plastic carry bags for instance, takes between 10 – 20 years to decompose, while items such as Styrofoam cups takes up to 50 years before it is broken down.
The Managing Director, Mr. Hans-Wilhelm Schütte, made this commitment, saying that this forms part of the company’s contribution towards Namibia’s quest to become the cleanest country in Africa.
H.E.President Hage Geingob recently identified 25 May 2018 (Africa Day) to be reserved for a nationwide clean-up campaign, where all citizens are expected to participate in cleaning up their respective neighbourhoods.
In 2017, the company entered into an agreement with Rent-A-Drum to supply & deliver selected and processed non-recycable material to Ohorongo, which is used to burn as alternative fuel in the kiln during the cement manufacturing process. This reconfirms the company’s commitment towards the environment and keeping Namibia clean.
“We purchase the processed material and burn it along with other alternative fuels to fire the kiln, which is key process of cement manufacturing. The kiln has gas temperatures of up to 2000 Degrees Celsius, which guarantees complete combustion and destruction of all organic substances, resulting in no harmful emissions,” said Schütte.
The move by Ohorongo to become part of the solution to keep Namibia clean has created in excess of an additional 80 jobs at Rent-A-Drum’s Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) processing plant outside Windhoek. The waste management company collects recyclable and non-recyclable materials at its centres in Khomas-, Erongo- and Oshana regions.
