Friday is clean-up day

Namibia's first World Heritage Site, Twyfelfontein, has been cleaned up in the build-up towards the National Clean-Up Campaign taking place this Friday.The CEO of the Hospitality Association (HAN), Gita Paetzold, said many tourism entities have started drumming up community support to clean their areas. One of the success stories was when the !Uibasen Conservancy and its operating partners came together on 1 May to hold the first Twyfelfontein clean-up day. The planning and preparations began when managers from the conservancy offices, Twyfelfontein Country Lodge, Twyfelfontein World Heritage Site, Aba Huab Campsite, Camp Kipwe/Mowani Mountain Camp, Damara Living Museum and Abadi Campsite gathered to discuss the ongoing issue of waste disposal within the conservancy. “Waste not only collects in the local village but also blows throughout the riverbeds, which negatively effects international tourists' opinion of the conservation efforts in the conservancy,” said Paetzold. Since the Twyfelfontein World Heritage Site and desert-adapted elephants are both in the conservancy, the Twyfelfontein area is a major tourist attraction.According to Paetzold the campaign was a huge success. About 200 volunteers, most of them conservancy members, and the rest staff from various lodges and campsites, they filled more than 1 800 bags of recyclable waste. “Rent-a-Drum was a huge help, not only in assisting with the clean-up but also educating the community on proper recycling techniques and the importance of recycling.“The community at Twyfelfontein realised that they live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, so campaigns like this where everyone commits to help our environment and uplift the community are very special,” said Paetzold. She added that in the build-up towards the clean-up campaign support has been streaming in and added that HAN, Recycle Namibia Forum, Eco Awards Namibia and Tosco Namibia (Tourism supporting Conservation) were very encouraged. More than a month ago, under the motto of 'Joining Hands and Linking Brands for a Cleaner Namibia', stakeholders in the tourism industry were urged to support President Hage Geingob's call for a cleaner Namibia on 25 May. ELLANIE SMIT

Friday is clean-up day

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-14

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Friday is clean-up day

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-14

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