Guadeloupe turns waste into resourcesCEFR B2
20 Nov 2025
Adapted from Olivia Losbar, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Fabrice Smet, Unsplash
Guadeloupe produced 346,720 tonnes of waste in 2023, according to ORDEC, the regional waste and circular economy observatory. About a quarter of the waste was recovered and 60 percent was buried in two non-hazardous waste storage facilities. Waste production has been stable since 2019, but authorities and local groups agree that recovery channels must improve.
Civic and creative responses aim to reduce consumption and increase reuse. L’Admérane, a creative space in the former refectory of Ilet Pérou in Capesterre-Belle-Eau, was created by the association Le Nouveau Mode and is led by Béatrice Souillet. The space offers sewing workshops, a small thrift shop and upcycling services; it accepts clothes for washing, sorting and resale or redesign and works with Orange Caraïbe. Souillet has made the space a PTCE and launched the environmentally focused brand Cyrikaë.
Artist and eco-designer Guy Gabon uses secondary materials—metal, plastic or textiles—instead of raw resources, and he says the ecological transition will require behaviour changes and some discomfort. Event organisers are also changing practices to reduce festival waste. Typical steps include:
- use of reusable cups and washable tableware,
- preferring glass or kegs,
- limiting plastic bottles,
- promoting food composting,
- setting up awareness areas in exhibitor villages.
Associations such as Mouvances Caraïbes coordinate education and waste management at events. François Vatin, an event waste manager who joined Mouvances Caraïbes a year ago after seven years with similar groups, says cost remains a major barrier for small organisers and that practices show only limited improvement, though public infrastructure such as trash cans has increased. At the public level, municipalities joined an inter-municipal cooperation (EPCI) since 2016 and the Regional Council aims for a zero-waste archipelago by 2035. An energy recovery plant is expected to open in 2028; the project is estimated at EUR 96 million (just over USD 111 million). In September 2024, representatives signed the Zero Waste in the Caribbean agreement, led by Syvade and financed by INTERREG Caribbean, to pool knowledge and develop recovery across the region.
Difficult words
- circular economy — system that reuses and recycles materials
- upcycling — making better products from old materials
- secondary material — used material chosen instead of new resourcessecondary materials
- composting — process of turning food waste into soil
- infrastructure — basic public systems and facilities like bins
- inter-municipal cooperation — work between nearby local governments or councils
- eco-designer — person who creates products with recycled materials
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How could community spaces like L’Admérane help reduce clothing waste in your area? Give examples.
- What difficulties might small event organisers face when trying to reduce festival waste? Refer to the article.
- How might opening an energy recovery plant change waste management and recovery in the region?
Related articles
Plague and the role of human fleas in Madagascar
The plague is still endemic in some countries, including Madagascar. Researchers found that the human flea Pulex irritans contributes to outbreaks and that household conditions and insecticide use influence flea levels and control efforts.
