170
P. Kowlesser
are then sent to the only landfill in Mauritius, located at Mare Chicose. It must be
noted that wastes from the southern and south-eastern part of the island are sent
directly to the Mare Chicose sanitary landfill. All the transfer stations and the Mare
Chicose landfill are operated by private contractors but the whole waste management
process (from collection to disposal) is financed by the Government. On average, cost
of waste management in Mauritius averages ~90 USD/ton.
As previously mentioned, nearly 95% of the solid wastes generated in Mauritius are disposed at the landfill. The Mare Chicose landfill is an engineered facility
equipped with leachate and gas collection systems that ensures that any environmental impacts of waste disposal are minimized. The landfill gas is collected and
combusted to produce electricity via three 1.1 MW-capacity engines. In 2017, 16.9
GWh of electricity was produced from landfill gas and sold to the grid (Statistic
Mauritius 2017b).
The Mare Chicose, operating since 1997, was due to reach saturation by mid
2018. However, with some engineering works, the lifespan of the landfill has been
extended till mid 2020. In the meantime, the government of Mauritius has embarked
on a project to vertically expand the landfill. This shall provide for waste disposal
capacity for some 5–8 years, the exact length of time to be determined following a
consultancy study.
Besides landfilling, solid wastes were previously composted on a large-scale in
Mauritius. In 2017, around 14,533 tons of solid wastes were composted. However,
due to several technical and operating constraints, wastes are not currently sent to the
composting plant. Besides landfilling and composting, recycling is also carried out
to some extent in Mauritius. Glass is crushed and recycled into new products, while
metals are reprocessed into new metal bars. PET bottles are collected and processed
into flakes prior to exportation while e-wastes are dismantled locally.
7.2 Waste Minimization Initiatives in Mauritius
Several waste minimization initiatives have been carried out in Mauritius in view of
decreasing the load of wastes that has to be managed by the local authorities and the
Government. Some of these initiatives are as follows:
a. Deposit-refund mechanism for glass bottles
This mechanism assists in the recovery of glass bottles that would have, otherwise,
been disposed in the landfill. With a deposit of USD 0.35 on 700-ml and USD 0.17
on 330-ml glass bottles, the refund mechanism ensures that glass bottles are returned
to the retail outlets. These are subsequently sent to the beverage manufacturers for
cleaning prior to refilling.
P. Kowlesser
are then sent to the only landfill in Mauritius, located at Mare Chicose. It must be
noted that wastes from the southern and south-eastern part of the island are sent
directly to the Mare Chicose sanitary landfill. All the transfer stations and the Mare
Chicose landfill are operated by private contractors but the whole waste management
process (from collection to disposal) is financed by the Government. On average, cost
of waste management in Mauritius averages ~90 USD/ton.
As previously mentioned, nearly 95% of the solid wastes generated in Mauritius are disposed at the landfill. The Mare Chicose landfill is an engineered facility
equipped with leachate and gas collection systems that ensures that any environmental impacts of waste disposal are minimized. The landfill gas is collected and
combusted to produce electricity via three 1.1 MW-capacity engines. In 2017, 16.9
GWh of electricity was produced from landfill gas and sold to the grid (Statistic
Mauritius 2017b).
The Mare Chicose, operating since 1997, was due to reach saturation by mid
2018. However, with some engineering works, the lifespan of the landfill has been
extended till mid 2020. In the meantime, the government of Mauritius has embarked
on a project to vertically expand the landfill. This shall provide for waste disposal
capacity for some 5–8 years, the exact length of time to be determined following a
consultancy study.
Besides landfilling, solid wastes were previously composted on a large-scale in
Mauritius. In 2017, around 14,533 tons of solid wastes were composted. However,
due to several technical and operating constraints, wastes are not currently sent to the
composting plant. Besides landfilling and composting, recycling is also carried out
to some extent in Mauritius. Glass is crushed and recycled into new products, while
metals are reprocessed into new metal bars. PET bottles are collected and processed
into flakes prior to exportation while e-wastes are dismantled locally.
7.2 Waste Minimization Initiatives in Mauritius
Several waste minimization initiatives have been carried out in Mauritius in view of
decreasing the load of wastes that has to be managed by the local authorities and the
Government. Some of these initiatives are as follows:
a. Deposit-refund mechanism for glass bottles
This mechanism assists in the recovery of glass bottles that would have, otherwise,
been disposed in the landfill. With a deposit of USD 0.35 on 700-ml and USD 0.17
on 330-ml glass bottles, the refund mechanism ensures that glass bottles are returned
to the retail outlets. These are subsequently sent to the beverage manufacturers for
cleaning prior to refilling.