The Municipality of Swakopmund launched the ‘Love Swakop? Leave No Litter’ campaign on Monday.
The clean-up initiative is aimed at promoting environmental responsibility during the festive season, and kicked off yesterday. It will run until 31 December.
The campaign comes as the town prepares to welcome thousands of local, regional and international visitors for the summer holidays.
Municipal health services manager Lydia Mutenda emphasised the need for community cooperation.
“We want our community to join hands with us in keeping what has become the cleanest town in Namibia clean and tidy,” she said.
“It is not just for us, but for future generations, visitors and investors. We need to encourage one another to take this responsibility, making sure every piece of litter finds its way into a bin.”
Mutenda highlighted Swakopmund’s unique appeal, especially as it draws thousands of holidaymakers.
“Swakopmund is an attractive town, and with the influx of visitors this December, we’ll see investment into our economy. These investments translate into jobs and contribute to our growing economy, all starting with a clean town.
“There are dustbins and skips all over town; use them. Don’t throw litter next to them – dispose of it properly and encourage others to do the same.”
Swakopmund chief executive Alfeus Benjamin recognised the efforts of the town’s cleaning staff.
“Our town is an attraction because of our cleaners who start early every morning to keep Swakopmund spotless.
We want the whole community involved, cleaning up around their homes, businesses and marketplaces,” said Benjamin.
He also noted that visitors and investors want a clean environment.
“Cleanliness creates opportunity,” he added.
Swakopmund spokesperson Linda Mupupa highlighted the campaign’s goal to “foster a culture of responsibility and pride among residents”.
“The ‘Love Swakop? Leave No Litter’ campaign aims to inspire Swakopmund residents to cherish and care for our beautiful environment through engaging activities and educational initiatives,” she said.
“With neighbourhood challenges, school programmes and community clean-up days, this campaign will promote lasting awareness and pride, empowering all residents to make a positive impact.”
The campaign includes various weekly initiatives designed to involve the entire community. These include, among others, a neighbourhood clean-up challenge during which neighbourhoods will compete weekly to collect the most litter.
Another initiative is ‘adopt-a-spot’, where businesses, schools and groups are encouraged to adopt public spaces for regular clean-ups, such as parks, beaches and streets.
In addition, a litter-free day will be planned each month, where residents are encouraged to pick up at least five pieces of litter, while a ‘spot-the-litterbug’ initiative will encourage residents to discreetly report or share images of littering, promoting accountability across the community.
The campaign will conclude in December with a celebration showcasing the collective waste reduction efforts, recognising active participants and providing statistics on waste collected.
Prizes, such as hotel vouchers, can be won and social media recognition will be given for the winning areas and participants.
“Swakopmund’s success is everyone’s success, especially when it comes to maintaining a clean, beautiful town for our tourism industry,” said Mupupa.
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