On March 18th, 2022, we celebrate World Recycling Day. An opportunity to take stock of waste production and recycling.
Worldwide, it is estimated that more than 2.5 billion tons of waste are produced annually. In Polynesia, 52,000 tons of waste are produced per year in the Windward Islands.
Among this waste, we mainly find household waste, business waste and waste from the construction sector, the biggest polluter in the world.
On our islands, green bins enable the collection of recyclable waste. Cans, bottles, paper, these wastes are then exported to be recycled in other countries. Only glass is recycled in Polynesia thanks to the network of communal glass bins in Tahiti and Moorea. Very finely crushed glass can then replace gravels used for concrete slabs, wall drainage and filtration basins.
Sorting and recycling waste is an important part of environmental protection. It reduces pollution and preserves natural resources by reusing resources that have already been consumed. Recycling paper allows, for example, to preserve wood resources and therefore our forests. Recycling plastic also helps preserve oil resources and limits pollution related to oil extraction.
All together, let’s continue our recycling efforts and preserve our fenua!
