Mauritius's First National Cleanup Record — Mauritius Cleanup Day 2026

On 20 September, Mauritius Cleanup Day turned a national cleanup into data. Here's what that means.

Tomek Joseph

10/2/20261 min read

Mauritius Has Cleaned Up Before. It's Never Been Recorded Like This.

Mauritius Cleanup Day 2026 is Mauritius's observance of World Cleanup Day, an official UN observance under Resolution A/RES/78/122. It took place on 20 September 2026.

Cleanups happen every year in Mauritius. Volunteers show up. Trash gets collected.

Then the data disappears.

This year was different.

What we recorded

Across 30 cleanups, 54+ organisations segregated what they collected into plastic, metal, glass and general waste, and logged the number of bags in each in the Planet Heroes app, an international platform used for cleanups around the world.

From those bag counts, we estimate the weight of each material, and model the CO₂e difference under a recycling scenario, using US EPA emission factors, under a methodology referencing ISO 14040:2006 and the GHG Protocol.

It's not an offset, and it's not a claim that the waste was recycled. It's a documented calculation, with every assumption disclosed. Built to be checked, not believed.

Where the data goes

Every partner receives an impact certificate showing what their cleanup recorded. Nationally, the data becomes the National Impact Report, launching on 13 November. It will be emailed to 697+ organisations in Mauritius, including four ministries and UNDP Mauritius, published online, and shared with World Cleanup Day's national leaders in 190 countries.

To our knowledge, it's the world's first national cleanup report built on material data and modelled CO₂e.

Why this matters beyond 20 September

Mauritius has never had a cleanup baseline. Now it has one, and every future report will be measured against it.

That's not a bigger cleanup. That's a different kind of record.