24 Oct 2013

The public has been urged to conserve natural resources as well as manage waste in order to keep the environment clean and safe.

Tsabong Sub-district council's environmental health officer, Mr Frank Dema said in an interview that  if not managed, waste could cause substantial damage to human health, animals, plants and the environment especially water resources.

Mr Dema urged the public to manage waste by recycling, as the process led to a saving in the use of natural resources and therefore aided conservation. He also pointed out that with less waste to dispose of there would be a reduction in environmental pollution and damage.

Furthermore, Mr Dema said recycling resulted in cost saving on refuse disposal by authorities and hence boosted the country’s economic development. Mr Dema advised the public not to burn waste, as that led to air pollution.

He advised the public to refrain from environmentally unfriendly acts such as littering, which strained the country’s economy as expensive systems were needed to remove the litter. 

He also said hazardous materials such as batteries should not be disposed off with domestic waste or dumped indiscriminately because of their toxicity. Batteries, he said, contained heavy metals or strong acids which could cause severe damage to human health, animals, plant life and to the environment.

Mr Dema said education and training were crucial elements in ensuring that waste management was carried out and that people should be educated about the importance of waste management. Waste disposed properly, is waste managed, he said.

He advised the public to utilise services aimed at waste management provided by the government. He appealed to the public to be actively involved in waste management as it promoted conservation of resources and ensuresd a clean and safe environment for all, thus a better Botswana. ENDS