From Plastic to Progress: Roches Noires Residents Lead Community Collection and Recycling for Local Impact

Plastic pollution is one of the most pressing environmental challenges affecting Mauritius. As a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), the country faces unique constraints in managing plastic waste, including limited land for disposal and the vulnerability of its coastal and marine ecosystems. When plastic waste is not properly collected and recycled, it can accumulate in rivers, mangroves, beaches and the ocean, threatening biodiversity, fisheries, tourism and the well-being of coastal communities.

Roches Noires was selected as the project site because of its strong community engagement, its close connection to the marine environment, and the presence of valuable ecosystems such as mangrove forests, seagrass meadows and coral reefs. The village provides an ideal setting to demonstrate how community-led action can reduce plastic pollution while fostering long-term environmental stewardship.

The Project

From Plastic to Progress: Roches Noires Residents Lead Community Collection and Recycling for Local Impact is a community-based initiative implemented by Reef Conservation in partnership with Forces Vives de Roches Noires, with the support of the Village Council.

Running from May 2026 to February 2027, the project empowers residents to take an active role in reducing plastic pollution through community collection, sorting and recycling of plastic bottles. A dedicated collection point will be established within the village, complemented by training sessions on responsible waste management, plastic identification and sorting, and awareness activities highlighting the impacts of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems.

Collected plastic bottles will be channeled through local recycling partners, including Precious Plastic Mauritius, where they will be transformed into useful products, demonstrating the value of circular economy solutions. By combining environmental education, community participation and strategic partnerships, the project aims to reduce plastic leakage into the environment while creating lasting benefits for the village.

As a pilot initiative, Roches Noires will also serve as a demonstration site, generating lessons and good practices that can support the replication of similar community-led plastic collection initiatives across Mauritius.

The Funders

This project is supported through the IslandPlas Project, funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation and implemented by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) under the Great Blue Wall initiative.

IslandPlas is a regional programme implemented across seven African islands states to reduce plastic leakage into the environment by promoting circular economy solutions, strengthening plastic collection and recycling systems, and supporting innovative community-led initiatives. Through the Roches Noires Community Plastic Collection Initiative, Reef Conservation contributes to these regional objectives by demonstrating how local partnerships and community action can help transform plastic waste into a valuable resource while protecting coastal and marine ecosystems.

Objectives

The project aims to:

1. Install a dedicated and clearly labelled plastic bottle recycling bin in a central location in Roches Noires to provide the community with an accessible collection point.
2. Strengthening community capacity in responsible waste management through training and education.
3. Establish a community-led system to collect, sort and monitor plastic bottles throughout the project, with regular recording of quantities collected.
4. Ensure all collected plastic bottles are transferred to local recycling partners for processing and reintegration into the recycling chain.
5. Raise awareness of plastic pollution and its impact on the marine environment through community sensitization activities and beach clean-ups, encouraging long-term behavior change and community stewardship.