Nearly all -- 90 percent -- of the waste in Seychelles ends up in the landfill, and the total amount is rising by 3 percent every year. According to the Seychelles Sustainable Development Strategy (2012-2020), the 93,000 inhabitants of the archipelago in the western Indian Ocean generate about 48,000 tonnes of waste per year.

In an effort to get a cleaner Seychelles, there have been attempts to encourage inhabitants and businesses to reduce, reuse or recycle their waste.

SNA presents eight places collecting recyclable materials.

Soroptimist Club of Victoria

The club accepts clothing, bed sheets, books, towels, kitchen utensils, and other household items that are no longer used by consumers. The fabrics and other collected items are donated to schools and prison as recycled materials and fashion projects. They usually hold a jumble sale every three months. The books are donated to schools around the islands.

Tel: +248 374278, 511104, 2521444

Fax: +248 374304

E-mail: soroptimist@seychelles.sc

(Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC-BY

Rogan Constructions

The workshop for the company is located at Baie Lazare, on the southern part of the main island Mahe, and is owned by Richard Ernestine. It collects glass bottles to crush. The crushed glass is used as aggregate in construction application projects such as interior decoration and leveling concrete floors. A lot of glasses are needed to produce 1 tonne of glass aggregates and due to the low production in the island nation, it needs to be blended with other materials such as rock crusher dust, or sand in a large construction project.

Tel: +248 4224072

E-mail: rogan@seychelles.sc

(Rogan Constructions) Photo License: CC-BY

MEC Retreading Company

Tires from used cars and other vehicles can be taken to this company at Le Rocher in the central Mahe district of Les Mamelles. Recycled tires are usually cheaper than new ones. An easy way to save money!

Tel: +248 4344912

Email: mec@seychelles.sc

Navin’s Paper Recycling Centre

This is the place to deposit all your paper products including cardboard and egg trays. The paper must be brought to the centre at Providence on the outskirts of Victoria. The centre makes various paper products, mainly egg trays, which are sold on site. The egg trays can be returned to Golden Egg, a local company dealing with the sales and production of eggs.

Tel: +248 2717170

(Joe Laurence, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

Harini Company

This company is based in Providence, the industrial zone on the eastern coast of the main island, Mahe. Set up in 2012 by Eandassamy Rengassamy and his wife, the company deals with the collection of plastic bottles and aluminum cans. The company today collects about 3 million PET bottles, equivalent to 40 to 50 tonnes, monthly and earns around $300 per tonne.

The bottles are shredded and are exported to China where they are re-processed to make the same PET bottles but at a lower grade. Such recycled bottles are commonly used for other non-food products such as detergent containers.

Tel: +248 2523355

Surya Enterprise

This business is owned by Jothinathan Naidoo and collects and exports scrap metal. Naidoo said he has noticed an increase in scrap electronics like fridges and cookers and noted that batteries are extremely toxic to the environment and should be discarded properly. At present Seychelles has facilities to export batteries, which are accepted by Surya Enterprise. The company is located in Providence, the industrial zone on the eastern coast of Mahe.  

Tel: +248 4373934

Samlo & Sons

Computers, phones, fridges and other accessories have become like cars: there’s always a newer, better, faster model coming out. The question is not only whether you should upgrade frequently, but importantly, what to do with them once they are broken and unusable. Samlo & Sons is the collection point where you can deposit your electronic waste for recycling. The company also collects scrap metals for exportation. 

Tel: +248 2864612

(Joe Laurence, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

Ink Doctor

This is the place to discard your old printer cartridge in an environmentally friendly way. The Ink Doctor is a local shop where you can return your old cartridge and also buy those that have been recycled and refilled.

Tel: +248 2516266

Email: sales@inkdoc.sc 

(Joe Laurence, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY