Giving a second life to wastes could be good business

Cooperatives are increasingly conscious of wastes being produced on the island and will be looking into ways to harness opportunities in the waste and recycling sector.

This was the subject of a workshop just organised by the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, in collaboration with the National Co-operative College (NCC).

Mauritius generates 1,488 tonnes of waste daily. In 2021, some 501,167 tonnes of solid wastes were disposed at the Mare Chicose sanitary landfill.

Out of the tonnes of solid wastes disposed at the Mare Chicose sanitary landfill, over 50% comprised organic wastes (food and yard wastes) with the remaining being recyclables such as paper, plastics, glass, metals and textile wastes.

Some Rs 1.5 billion are spent annually for the collection and transfer of waste as well as for the maintenance of the disposal sites.

Speaking at the workshop, Minister Soomilduth Bholah invited cooperatives to consider giving a second life to waste, “which would encourage the shift towards a circular economy.”

He talked of the Solar Photovoltaic Rebate Scheme which enabled 25 cooperatives to produce green energy, and the manufacture of eco bags by cooperatives, following training by NCC.

Schemes for cooperative societies to embark in bio/organic farming activities and natural farming systems were also mentioned.