The Gondwana Collection has acquired six glass crushing machines in order to address the environmental threat that discarded glass bottles are posing to the country.
Gondwana team receiving the glass crusher machines from Steven and James Hirst.
The leading brand in Namibian eco-tourism, The Gondwana Collection Namibia, is widely respected for its environmental entrepreneurship and green technologies employed at its establishments, all around the country.
With the introduction of six brand new glass crusher machines, they are doing their part cleaning up the environment and clearing it of littered glass bottles as well as managing the glass that originates from the Gondwana Lodges.
James Hirst showing how the glass crusher works
The glass crusher machine weighs 95kg and can crush an estimated 120-150kg of glass an hour, grinding it into non-hazardous glass sand. The unique property of the glass sand enables it to be used as a mixture with cement from which decorative and various other practical pieces like table tops and tiles can be manufactured for re-selling and re-using.
A Gondwana staff member with a new glass crushing machine
Gondwana will initially deploy the glass crushers at six of the Gondwana lodges, in an attempt to reduce the amount of glass waste in their respective regions and also managing its own glass waste better.
Other uses for the glass sand is in the manufacturing of bricks from which Gondwana hopes to become self sufficient when conducting smaller projects at their lodges, which can be done by simply managing its glass waste more effectively.
The non-hazardous glass sand after being crushed by the glass crusher.
The Gondwana Collection hopes that its small step in eradicating waste glass bottles can become a giant leap for Namibia in glass waste awareness and a cleaner environment through innovative and efficient disposal and use of new products.
The hope is that the glass crusher technology and the application of the waste products can become an income generator for disadvantaged and marginalized communities in the areas of the Gondwana lodges.
The user friendly machine is produced in Johannesburg South Africa and is distributed in Namibia by G-eco Glass. The father son duo, James and Steven Hirst, hope to start a trend of entrepreneurial opportunities, which can arise by cleaning up the country.
The first machine was taken to Namib Desert Lodge on the 04 March 2016, by Gondwana’s Environmental Officer, Quintin Hartung. He will be responsible to teach the staff at Namib Deseret Lodge the workings of the machine, so that they can get started as soon as possible, cleaning the environment and managing Gondwana’s own glass.
In doing so the hope of the Gondwana Collection is that Namibians in general will confirm custodianship over nature and the environment and maintain the reputation of the country as a world leader in the protection and sustainable use of its natural resources.
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