I already talked about our little island in previous posts but today I want to tell you more about why recycling and green initiatives are so important for the island's sustainability. Firstly the ratio of space to population is huge, the island spans a tiny 40x60 km for about 1,288,684 (on the 31st December 2011). That means that the amount of waste being produced is huge and the space in which to put it away is small. Secondly Mauritius's economy relies largely on tourism which means it must retain its natural charm and CLEAN beaches. Ever lied down on the beach, dug your feet into the sand and felt foreign objects touching your skin? Yeah it's awful! Thirdly there is a lot of potential in recycling for the benefit of the poorer part of the population. Many objects can be made from recycled things and because they can be made from waste they cost considerably less or even nothing at all!
Mauritius has started turning towards the green and developing recycling however a lot of people on the island remain uneducated about the issue. A lack of commitment is also slowing down the process a little bit and of course a lack in sufficient funds because sometimes recycling can become quite expensive as well for example recycling glass glass and metal recycling can build up a nice bill because it requires a lot of filtering and other energy demanding processes. But I remain certain that in the green trend will take more speed during the next few years in Mauritius and even if it's hard at the start it will become easier in the future!
Sources: http://www.gov.mu/portal/goc/cso/ei949/pvs.pdf
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