Recycling in Mauritius

Mauritius is an island undergoing major development and as the level of consumption increases, so does the level of waste production. Waste production obviously cannot be haltered and so ways to deal with them must be found. Waste management has 3 main pillars: reduce, reuse and recycle. Though a very old concept, recycling has started in Mauritius only a few years back and it is mostly private companies that go for it. While there is no streaming procedure for waste transport to the landfill on a homely basis, several shopping malls and schools have special recycling bins for the disposal of paper, plastic and metal.

What is it

Recycling is the process where used materials are turned into new products (not necessarily the same original ones) so as to minimise environmental impacts such as underground leaching, emission of greenhouse gas through burning and to promote resource conservation. Recycling is a very natural way to reduce environmental pollution and as more people acknowledge the need to preserve the environment nowadays, the need to recycle becomes more of a good alternative. A number of interesting materials can be made from recycling whether it is done at home or elsewhere; for instance, used paper can be recycled to make gift wraps, cards, note books etc which is very educational for young ones thus making them more environmental conscious.

What is being done

The government has come up with a number of initiatives to encourage recycling such as awareness campaigns, information dissemination, a number of pilot projects such as one concerned with battery and mobile recycling where boxes have been placed in different areas for broken mobiles to be dropped in for recycling etc but there is no real legislation or firmer commitment for recycling materials. Recycling is a very effective and easy means to reduce the waste stream in Mauritius. For example, glass can be recycled over and over again and turned into new materials indefinitely while it takes 4000 years to decompose on its own, taking up place in a landfill when it could have been used more effectively. And sadly too, the only landfill in Mauritius, Mare Chicose, initially created with a lifespan of 18 years, has seen its storage capacity reduced to 9 years because of the overflow of waste over there (organic matter accounting for 70% of the waste load which can be composted while the other 30% consists mainly of recyclable materials like paper, clothes, metals etc).

Materials recycled in Mauritius include organic matter which is mainly done by the agricultural board; paper, glass, metal, bagasse, plastic, coal ash are sent abroad for the processes.

Where to take materials for recycling

Mission Verte, an NGO created in 2007 has currently 14 recycling centres around the island. Location details are as follows:

1. Caudan Waterfront, close to the Casino
2. Couvent de Belle-Rose
3. Barkly, Beau-Bassin
4. Flacq, Parking Way
5. Forest Side, Parking Winners
6. Labourdonnais, Parking Ecole du Nord
7. Le Bocage International School, Moka
8. Mahebourg, Parking London
9. Moka, Ecole du Centre
10. Reunion, Parking Winners
11. Roche Bois nr 16, St Martin Street
12. St. Antoine, Zone Industrielle
13. St Pierre, Kendra Commercial Center
14. Tamarin, Ecole Paul & Virginie
15. Tamarin, Parking Barachois Commercial Center (La Place Cap Tamarin)
16. Tamarina, IRS

Private companies concerned with recycling on the island include:

• Agripac Ltd (Vacoas, 426-2955) and Lagtex (Port Louis, 212-2047) for paper recycling;
• Plastic recycling Ltd., (Riche Terre, 206-9266) and Polypet Recyclers Ltd., (Solitude, 261-7171) for plastic recycling;
• Runghen G.and Co., (Port Louis, 204-0090) and Samlo Koyenco Co.Ltd (Midlands, 665-6700) for metal recycling;
• Recycling Industries Mauritius Limited (Riche Terre, 249-0179) and Lagtex for textile recycling;
• The Mauritius glass gallery (Phoenix) (6963360) for glass recycling.

These companies can be contacted for recycling procedures, to enquire about the fees and where the materials are sent etc.

Your thoughts

Do you think recycling is a waste of time or should everyone be doing it? What are your opinions?