Mauritius' Lively Contribution to the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign
- James Clark
- 18 minutes ago
- 3 min read
8 September 2025, Mauritius’s contribution to the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Plastics Campaign began at 8 am on Le Morne Beach. Orchestrated by RCS’s in-country partner We Recycle and Commonwealth Games Mauritius, a 25-strong team comprised of community members, youth, and athletes collected 35 kg of litter, amounting to 8,228 pieces of plastic, from along the Le Morne shoreline.
Volunteers created collages and other artworks in the sand using litter, shells, seaweed, and more. The depictions of fish and sea life were both a fun end to the day and a reminder of the beauty currently at risk from plastic pollution.
After the clean-up, multiple aquatic sporting events were organised: a dragon boat show, tug of war, scuba diving, kite surfing, and more. A life-saving workshop was also held by Surf Lifesaving Mauritius. The organising team clearly understood that the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Plastics Campaign is not just about raising awareness of plastic pollution, but about showing how enjoyable community action can be.
Le Morne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located on the extreme southwestern tip of Mauritius. Above it towers a 556 metre (1,824 ft) tall mountainous rock, and the surrounding lagoon contains many rare and endangered plants.
We Recycle Mauritius is a leading environmental non-profit dedicated to education, community action, and sustainable waste management. Its mission is to empower all Mauritians, from schoolchildren to businesses and local communities, with the knowledge and tools to tackle plastic pollution and reduce waste.
We Recycle encourages young people to adopt reduce and recycle behaviours through workshops, delivering 815 awareness sessions across 256 primary schools in 2025. It has helped to educate 17,807 students on the issue of plastic pollution, which is a 111 percent increase on last year. The organisation also helps businesses adopt more responsible consumption practices, particularly surrounding plastics, through workshops and sustainability programmes.
With its mix of education, advocacy, and practical action, We Recycle continues to be a catalyst for environmental change in Mauritius, inspiring individuals and communities to take responsibility for the planet.
We would like to thank We Recycle for their leadership in sustainability initiatives, the Mauritius Olympic Committee for linking sport with positive environmental action, and all the volunteers and athletes who gave their time and energy to protect Mauritius’s environment.
The Le Morne Clean Up demonstrated how the Commonwealth Games and the King’s Baton Relay are not only about athletic excellence, but also about shared values of people, planet, and pride.
As We Recycle Mauritius stated: “Just as every step of the Baton Relay unites people through sport, every piece of litter removed brings us closer to a healthier planet.”
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
The Royal Commonwealth Society’s Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign will prevent one million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waterways.
The campaign will combine education and local action to encourage people to reduce their plastic waste, highlight alternatives, and reduce pollution across the Commonwealth.
For the action component of the campaign, the Royal Commonwealth Society has partnered with Commonwealth Sport to deliver the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign as a core component of The King’s Baton Relay. This newly envisioned King’s Baton Relay will focus on sustainability and environmentalism and was launched by His Majesty The King at Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day 2025, beginning a 500-day journey to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July 2026.
Journeying through every Commonwealth nation and territory, this partnership will bring together young people, athletes, conservation groups, and the local community for a week of activities, including a plastic clean-up.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Royal Commonwealth Society.