Destination Zero Waste Mauritius
As an island destination, Mauritius is particularly sensitive to littering and waste accumulation. Negative attitudes towards waste disposal and waste management still persist among the local population as well as visitors. The TUI Care Foundation has teamed up with the Tourism Authority of the Republic of Mauritius to tackle plastic and glass waste and promote both a change in mindset and a litter-free environment.
Destination Zero Waste Mauritius adopts a multi-faceted approach to tackle the issues. It combines a public awareness campaign with a sustainability curriculum in schools and infrastructural improvement for waste management in the country. It also introduces a sustainable tourism product for visitors to engage with the topic.
In recent years, Mauritius has significantly increased its focus on promoting environmental conservation and has even received international recognition for its achievements in waste management, water quality, biodiversity conservation, and environmental governance. Despite this progress, littering outside hotel environments remains an issue.
The programme includes the launch of public awareness campaigns about the negative impact of littering across media platforms including TV, radio and social media.
Collaborations with schools and educational institutions incorporate lessons on environmental stewardship, waste management, and the consequences of littering into the curriculum of 500 children.
Regular cleanup events increase community engagement as well as partnerships with 100 local businesses, NGOs and community organisations to mobilise volunteers and resources.
The initiative also includes improvements in waste management infrastructures, with 30 trash bins and 2,000 ashtrays installed in key points across the island and he installation of recycling bins. Overall, Destination Zero Waste Mauritius ensures that over two million kgs of plastic and glass waste are collected with at least 90% of this going to recycling.
To engage over 1.500 stakeholders in Mauritius on the topic of plastic and glass waste reduction, a tailor-made “Discovery Tour” product is also being created to connect local businesses in tourism and hospitality with innovative upcycling solutions being created throught the island.
Project Partner
The Tourism Authority of the Republic of Mauritius’s mandate is to promote the sustainable development of the tourism industry. As such, it aims to foster and encourage the conduct of activities in the tourism industry in a responsible manner in order to preserve the integrity of the Mauritian destination. Additionally, it coordinates, supports and interacts with the organisations and institutions which promote the tourism industry, it fosters research for the effective implementation of tourism policies, it promotes public understanding and interest in the tourism industry, it develops and implements tourism and tourism-related projects, and it promotes coordination and cooperation between the public sector agencies and the private sector organisations engaged in the tourism industry.
