Roches Noires community collects more than 750 kg of waste

Residents, volunteers and local organisations joined forces ahead of World Cleanup Day 2026 to tackle plastic pollution and strengthen awareness of responsible waste management.

On 19 September, the Roches Noires community came together for a cleanup across the village and coastline. The initiative brought residents and volunteers together with representatives of the District Council of Rivière du Rempart, the Village Council of Roches Noires, the Tourism Authority, the TUI Care Foundation, Forces Vives de Roches Noires and Rotaract Clubs.

Dr The Honourable Kaviraj Sharma Sukon, Minister of Tertiary Education, Science and Research, addressed participants before joining them in the cleanup.

From awareness to action

The day began with an interactive session delivered through Bis Lamer. Participants learned how plastic waste left on land can travel through drains and rivers before reaching the ocean, putting pressure on terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems.

The session also highlighted the role of responsible waste management, sorting and recycling in reducing pollution. Afterwards, volunteers spread across the village and coastline to collect and sort discarded waste.

Together, they collected 754.81 kg of waste. Of this, 505.87 kg was recyclable material, including PET plastic, cans and glass. With support from Mautopia and Green Impact, the recyclable materials were sent to recycling industries.

A shared responsibility

“A cleanup has an immediate and visible impact, but its value goes much further,” said Dr Lisa Ah Shee Tee, Senior Research Project Manager. “It creates an opportunity for people to understand how our everyday choices can affect the environment and how each of us can contribute to reducing plastic pollution. What we witnessed in Roches Noires was a strong sense of collective responsibility, with residents, volunteers and different organisations working towards the same objective.”

The initiative showed how community action can connect environmental awareness with practical steps to protect local surroundings. Removing waste is important, but reducing plastic pollution also depends on the choices people make about what they use, how they dispose of it and whether they sort materials for recycling.

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

The mobilisation was made possible by the Roches Noires community and the support of the District Council of Rivière du Rempart, the Village Council of Roches Noires, the Tourism Authority, the TUI Care Foundation, Forces Vives de Roches Noires and Rotaract Clubs.

The message from the day was clear: tackling plastic pollution takes more than cleanups. It also calls for awareness, responsible practices and communities actively caring for the natural environments around them.