Solid Waste Management in Small Island
Developing States, Specifically
in Mauritius
P. Kowlesser
Abstract Solid waste management is a pressing issue worldwide and small islands
developing states (SIDS) are no exception. While many SIDS are now moving
towards sustainable waste management, several among these small island developing
economies still adopt illegal dumping and backyard burning as their waste disposal
option as they are unaware of the negative health and environmental impacts caused
by these practices. Furthermore, lack of financial and technical means and land
scarcity are some of the main barriers that hamper the development of an integrated
and sustainable waste management system in SIDS. Among the different SIDS, Mauritius is one of the few small islands that possesses a sanitary landfill. In 2017, over
480,000 tons of solid wastes were disposed at the only landfill in Mauritius, located
at Mare Chicose. Besides landfilling, recycling and home composting are being practised to some extent. The potential waste management options in Mauritius, based
on the waste composition, include composting and anaerobic digestion with recycling representing another avenue for sustainable waste management. Nonetheless,
a sustainable solid waste management strategy and action plan should be developed
and implemented as this will be the cornerstone of the setting-up of any future waste
management technology.
Keywords Solid wastes management · Small islands developing states ·
Recycling · Solid waste management strategy · Composting · Landfilling
1 Introduction
Globally, more than 2.01 billion tons of solid wastes are generated annually while
this is expected to grow to 3.40 billion tonnes by 2050 (Kaza et al. 2018). The
issue of solid wastes generation is not restricted to developed countries but also
concerns developing economies, particularly small island developing states (SIDS).
As a result of population growth, developing economies and improving lifestyles
P. Kowlesser (B)
Solid Waste Management Division, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable
Development, Port Louis, Mauritius
e-mail: pkowlesser@hotmail.com
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
S. K. Ghosh (ed.), Solid Waste Policies and Strategies: Issues, Challenges
and Case Studies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1543-9_15
165
Developing States, Specifically
in Mauritius
P. Kowlesser
Abstract Solid waste management is a pressing issue worldwide and small islands
developing states (SIDS) are no exception. While many SIDS are now moving
towards sustainable waste management, several among these small island developing
economies still adopt illegal dumping and backyard burning as their waste disposal
option as they are unaware of the negative health and environmental impacts caused
by these practices. Furthermore, lack of financial and technical means and land
scarcity are some of the main barriers that hamper the development of an integrated
and sustainable waste management system in SIDS. Among the different SIDS, Mauritius is one of the few small islands that possesses a sanitary landfill. In 2017, over
480,000 tons of solid wastes were disposed at the only landfill in Mauritius, located
at Mare Chicose. Besides landfilling, recycling and home composting are being practised to some extent. The potential waste management options in Mauritius, based
on the waste composition, include composting and anaerobic digestion with recycling representing another avenue for sustainable waste management. Nonetheless,
a sustainable solid waste management strategy and action plan should be developed
and implemented as this will be the cornerstone of the setting-up of any future waste
management technology.
Keywords Solid wastes management · Small islands developing states ·
Recycling · Solid waste management strategy · Composting · Landfilling
1 Introduction
Globally, more than 2.01 billion tons of solid wastes are generated annually while
this is expected to grow to 3.40 billion tonnes by 2050 (Kaza et al. 2018). The
issue of solid wastes generation is not restricted to developed countries but also
concerns developing economies, particularly small island developing states (SIDS).
As a result of population growth, developing economies and improving lifestyles
P. Kowlesser (B)
Solid Waste Management Division, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable
Development, Port Louis, Mauritius
e-mail: pkowlesser@hotmail.com
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
S. K. Ghosh (ed.), Solid Waste Policies and Strategies: Issues, Challenges
and Case Studies, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1543-9_15
165