The University of Namibia (UNAM) in collaboration with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) have embarked on a project to address plastic waste management under the title: Assessment of household plastic waste handling in the city.
This project aims to study household waste management in an effort to build a basis to answer the question of how to manage plastic waste in the future. Research to this effect will be carried out in Vienna and Windhoek. The project is financed by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research of Austria for the duration of up to two years.
Dr. Sadrag Panduleni Shihomeka, Head of the Department of Higher Education and Lifelong Learning and senior Lecturer, remarked that this study is set to provide potential solutions for better plastic waste management.
“Understanding people’s footprint on the environment, could be a model that other Namibian institutions might extrapolate from to create awareness on the disposal and sustainable management of plastic waste, in particular, household waste”, said Dr Shihomeka.
He further pointed out the two institutions’ research competence and singled out similar research cooperation. “BOKU and UNAM are established universities that have a proven track record of carrying out research. Hence, this cooperation and joint research will enhance this position. The project has equally brought together experienced researchers who have worked in different fields of multidisciplinary research, such as waste management” he added.
A team of stellar UNAM researchers, consisting of Dr Shihomeka and Dr Albertina Ndeinoma from Ogongo Campus, including UNAM students will carry out sampling and laboratory analysis in Windhoek. These samples will be collected, sorted and analyzed in the lab facilities of UNAM. The first data for Namibia will be shared and discussed with researchers from BOKU.
Researchers from BOKU include Tangeni Haimbala, a Master’s of Science student, who is working on his PhD project, focused on plastic waste and the use of digital technologies to improve the management of plastic waste, and his supervisor, Prof. Stefan Salhofer, from the Institute of Waste Management at BOKU.
This project will facilitate joint laboratory analysis between UNAM and BOKU, as well as knowledge exchange through in-person guest lectures on the research topic at the respective institutes.
In 2023, a waste management seminar will take place in Windhoek where the results of the project will be presented and discussed with various stakeholders for implementation.
