Context (Solid Waste Management)

The Solid Waste Management Division (SWMD) plays a key role in the following:

• Operation and Maintenance of:
     The Mare Chicose Landfill – Vertical Expansion
     Transfer Stations
     Interim Storage Facility for Hazardous Wastes (ISFHW) and 
     Civic Amenity Centres (CACs)
• Management of:
     Hazardous (Export); and 
     Non-Hazardous wastes (Condemned Goods, Unserviceable, etc.)

Useful Links

• Solid Waste Management Division Website
• Legislation
• Circular Economy Theme
• Registered Recyclers and Exporters
• List of Registered Scavenging Contractors

Challenges

Mauritius faces various challenges in the solid waste sector:

• Land and Space Limitations: With limited land available, traditional disposal methods like landfilling are unsustainable.

• Increasing Waste Volumes: 1500 tonnes of municipal solid waste are generated daily which ends up in the Mare Chicose landfill.

• Cost of Management: Approx. Rs. 2.1 billion is spent annually on solid waste management, including solid waste collection, transport, transfer and landfilling.

• Lack of segregation of wastes: There is no segregation of wastes.

New Waste Management Strategy

• About 582,798.02 tonnes of waste were landfilled in 2025. With an estimated waste growth of 2% per annum and based on a BAU scenario, some 650,000 tonnes of waste are expected to be landfilled in 2030. Organic wastes contributing to methane emission represent about 50% of the total waste generated in Mauritius. The only sanitary landfill also features advanced leachate and gas collection systems that effectively mitigate the environmental impacts associated with waste disposal. 

   

• A Solid Waste Management Strategy and Action Plan focusing on resource recovery and recycling, with the ambitious goal of diverting about 70% of waste generated from the landfill by 2033 through an ecological transition from a linear economy model which traditionally follows the “take-make-dispose” to circular economy model is being implemented.

   

• One of the main projects emanating from the Solid Waste Management Strategy is the setting-up and operation of two regional Integrated Waste Processing Facilities (IWPFs), each having a capacity of 130,000 tonnes, consisting of a composting plant and a sorting unit on a PPP (Public Private Partnership) basis. The IWPFs will allow organic wastes such as food wastes and green wastes to be composted while also ensuring that recyclable materials such as paper, carton, plastics and metals are properly segregated at the sorting unit prior to sale to recyclers. 

Vision of SWMD

• To achieve a sustainable waste management system in Mauritius through resource recovery and adoption of a circular economy approach.

Mission of SWMD

• Provide a safe and sound management of solid and hazardous waste;

• Recover resource and materials from waste;

• Contribute to protection of the environment and to public health for present and future generations.
   

Contact details of Solid Waste Management Division

Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change (Solid Waste Management Division)  

Level 3, NeXSky Building, Cybercity, Ebène

Tel: +(230) 490 4400

Email: swmd@govmu.org 

Policies and Regulations

The Ministry's Solid Waste Management Division plays a crucial role in safeguarding the environment and public health through efficient waste management. Current policies include:

• Legal Framework for Solid Waste Management: Proper waste management practices to minimise environmental impacts

• National Waste Management Strategy: Guides waste reduction, collection, treatment, and disposal efforts.

• Public Education and Engagement: Ongoing campaigns improve public participation in waste management, emphasizing waste characterization studies to tailor strategies to local needs.