People who collect plastic bottles and cans from the street play an important role

Secretary General for the Environment, Alain Decommarmond, said the road collectors were very important to Seychelles.

"We have quite a few collectors in the community and around the street corners to pick up the waste PET bottles and metal cans that we dump in the environment," Decommarmond said.

He said that these collectors should be considered as an integral part of the collection system as they also help in reducing the amount of waste material dumped in the landfill.

Nach Angaben der Landschafts- und Abfallwirtschaftsbehörde, einer staatlichen Gesellschaft, die die Sammlung von Abfällen auf den wichtigsten bewohnten Inseln des Archipels verwaltet, wurden im vergangenen Jahr insgesamt 70.000 Tonnen Abfall auf der Hauptdeponie in Providence an der Ostküste der Hauptinsel. Dies entspricht 80 Prozent der gesamten Abfallmenge der Seychellois-Bevölkerung. Die restlichen 20 Prozent – Plastikflaschen und Altmetall – werden recycelt.

Decommarmond believes that the government should provide incentives to support this informal sector, as the environment versus the people is always crucial.

The Secretary General for Environment said that this form of collection keeps the environment clean but also has its drawbacks that need to be addressed.

Nicol Henri, a street collector, said his main reason for collecting PET is to make money and buy drugs as he is an addict. He starts at 5am every day and collects around the capital Victoria.
"I am a homeless person. Collecting PET and cans from municipal waste is my only way to earn an income," Henri said.

Henri said there are only 15 young people doing the collection in Victoria and they are paid around 22 $ (SCR300) per day, but by the end of the month the amount may rise to 52 $ (SCR700).