Waste Paper Collection and Recycling Project rolled out in schools nationwide

The Minister of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change, Mr Rajesh Bhagwan, urged children to become ambassadors of environmental protection and play an active role in promoting recycling habits across Mauritius.

He was speaking, this morning, at the launch of the National Waste Paper Collection and Recycling Project in Primary and Secondary Schools, held at S.K. Kanhye Government School in Goodlands. The project, which will be implemented in some 246 primary and secondary schools, is an initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Human Resource.

The Minister of Education and Human Resource, Dr Mahend Gungapersad; Members of the National Assembly, Messrs Nitish Sharma Beejan and Rameshwar Etwareea; and other personalities also attended the event.

The project aims to inculcate recycling habits among children from an early age, educate them on the importance of environmental stewardship, and encourage responsible waste management practices. It builds on the successful implementation of a pilot phase last year in 22 primary and secondary schools across the country, during which students collected old books, notebooks, newspapers, and cardboard for recycling at the WeCycle plant.

In his address, Minister Bhagwan underscored that environmental protection is a shared responsibility requiring the commitment of every citizen. He pointed out that around 14 per cent of the waste disposed of at the Mare Chicose landfill consists of paper that could be recycled, and highlighted the environmental cost of paper production, noting that millions of trees are cut down worldwide each day. In this context, he called for greater efforts to reduce paper waste, promote recycling, and preserve natural resources for future generations.

Referring to the pilot project, the Minister indicated that 18.8 tonnes of paper were collected in less than a year, resulting in more than 300 trees being saved and approximately 488,000 litres of water being conserved. Encouraged by these positive outcomes, he added that the initiative has now been extended to more schools to further strengthen efforts to reduce the volume of waste sent to Mare Chicose. He also announced that new initiatives would soon be introduced to tackle plastic pollution and appealed to the population to make greater efforts to protect the environment for future generations.

For his part, Dr Gungapersad reiterated his Ministry’s support for initiatives led by the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change aimed at promoting environmental protection and sustainable practices among students. He further urged students to assist their parents in maintaining cleanliness at home, stressing that such good environmental practices begin within the family and should be developed from an early age.

16 June 2026

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Topics: Environment, Education