02 Nov 2016

Ms Ketsile Orapeleng, a business development director at Ecoleap Waste Management Solutions, has called on the public to come up with innovative ways to protect the environment and create employment.

Speaking in an interview, Ms Orapeleng said “waste doesn’t necessarily belong in the landfill as the expression goes, what’s old to you may be new to the next person.”

She explained waste management as the control of the spread of waste within the environment and the landfill and emphasised the importance of waste separation, recycling and reuse.

Ms Orapeleng referenced the current situation of overflowing landfills across the country, saying it showed a gap in public education on waste management in order to reduce the amount of waste that went to the landfill.

“All waste material such as paper, cans and bottles or glass can be recycled and reused. As such waste segregation starts from the homestead, office, malls, shopping centres and schools,” she explained.

According to Ms Orapeleng, a campaign on ‘zero waste to the landfill’ is achievable if everyone commits to the cause. She insisted that waste separation did not only benefit the environment but it created jobs.

She said material such as plastic could be recycled to make baskets, carpets, containers while papers could be used to make paper mache’ ornaments and notepads.

She added that glass could be crushed to make more glass and windows while aluminum cans could always be melted back into their original form and remolded for further use.

“Botswana’s waste is not really managed according to the world standards and environmental safety standards but with the current efforts, the country is moving in the right direction,” Ms Orapeleng said.

She spoke of the new innovative product that is hygienic, convenient and cost effective, called the molok-system which originates from Finland.

It is described as deep collection system mainly based on the ground with 40 per cent of it appearing above the ground and 60 per cent buried below ground level.

The system uses the gravitational force to compress the waste within the container which results in low emptying of the container.

Due to the low temperatures underground, the system is said to be odorless and because it has a tight lid, the garbage is safe from scavengers, wildlife, hygienic and appealing to the eye.

It can be used in all areas like schools, office blocks, homesteads and shopping malls. ENDS