The Minister of Tourism, Environment and Culture, Ms. Ntlhoi Motsamai says waste is a global problem that is escalating proportionally with economic and population growth.
Ms. Motsamai said this when addressing participants at the meeting on promotion of Circular Economy in The Textile and Garment Sector Project, Through the Sustainable Management of Chemicals and Waste held in Maseru.
The aim of the project is to promote the concept of circular economy in the textile and garment sector of Lesotho, Madagascar, and South Africa through the reuse, recycling and conversion of textile and related wastes into economically viable and socially beneficial products and services to prevent or reduce uncontrolled burning of such wastes.
Ms.  Motsamai thanked the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) for its support saying this meeting would have not taken place if it was not for the financial support which UNIDO offered when needed.
She said the evolution of mankind has brought change in living dynamics as well as adaptation patterns which all have positive and negative aspects on social, economic, technological and environmental integrity, noting that in the context of this project, the focus is on emerging and escalating environmental related challenges in the context of waste.
“The Ministry has embarked on a number of projects that have the same objectives of addressing waste management challenges. With the support of UNIDO, we are implementing a project “Promotion of Best Available Technologies and Best Environmental Practices to reduce unintentionally produced persistent organic pollutants released from waste open burning in our region’’ she stressed.
In conclusion, she apealed to the private sector to come collectively with government and work together for Lesotho to achieve sustainable development, saying it is their  responsibility to protect the environment, for the sake of the future generation.
Also speaking, UNIDO Representative, Mr. Kentaro Abe said UNIDO’s approach focuses on promoting the greening of existing industries through resource recovery, reuse and recycling as well as promotion of circular economy concepts and hazardous chemicals.
He said the project is faced with numerous challenges, citing limited local technical expertise, inadequate physical infrastructure for sound management waste, current waste management practices, saying greener chemicals are often more expensive compared to hazardous synthetic ones and the greenery ones are scares.
Giving a brief on the project, Senior Officer Environment Pollution Control at the Ministry of Environment, Mr. Kobeli Tsasanyane said the project consists of four activities which include; strengthening legal and institutional framework to promote circular economy, the development of environmental management plan structures and standards; capacity building and training as well as investment in new monitoring equipment and information dissemination.
He said the main objectives of the project is to promote circular economy in textile and garment sector through reuse, recycling, value addition of off- cuts, prevention of dioxins and furans emissions and reduction of wastes to landfill.
The feasibility study was conducted in 2018, and the project is expected to last five years.
 
By staff Reporter: ‘Maphoka Likotsi