Solid Waste Management Process

1. Waste Characterisation

• The composition of waste is normally influenced by socio-economic status, the size of the household, and even by seasons. It is challenging to manage the handling and disposal of waste in an economically and environmentally feasible manner due to the dynamic nature of waste composition and quantity. 

   

• A study was carried out in year 2019-2020 on waste disposed in all five transfer stations and the landfill. The 2021 National Solid Waste Characterisation Study can be accessed through the link below:

   

  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rs7b8SkbGdhUBghXZSBf1j-En_cVa5jA/view?usp=drive_link

   

   

                                   Overall Composition of Municipal Solid Waste - STUDY

   

   

  

                             Source: National Solid Waste Characterisation Study In Mauritius Report (Reporting period: Nov 2019-Oct 2020)
 

A 2021 National Solid Waste Characterisation Study (Google access) determined that the composition of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Mauritius is as follows:

• Degradable Organic Wastes: 71.5%
  • Food Waste: 16.3%
  • Yard Waste: 32.2%
  • Paper and Cardboard: 17.0%
  • Textiles: 6.0%
• Plastics: 14.5%
  • low density polyethylene (LDPE) (Plastic Bags, Containers): 7.0%
  • polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (Beverage Bottles, Packaging): 3.7%
  • high density polyethylene (HDPE)  (Plastic Crates, Containers): 3.0%
  • Polystyrene (PS) (Foam Packaging and consumer products): 0.8%
• Glass: 4.7%
• Metals: 3.6%
• Other Waste (Leather, Rubber, Ash, Ceramics, Electronics, etc.): 5.7%.

Organic wastes constitute the bulk of the waste, with one-third from yard wastes, one-sixth from food and another one-sixth from paper and cardboard wastes; (the paper waste generated constituted of primarily newspaper, packaging material as well as tissue paper).   (Degradable organic waste represents 71.5% of the total municipal solid waste (MSW) Food Waste: 16.3%; Yard Waste: 32.2%; Paper Waste: 17.0% and Textile Waste: 6.0%). Plastics comes next with 14.5%.

The recyclable constituents in MSW include paper, plastic, metal, and glass. 

The findings of this study revealed that Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Mauritius has a moisture content of ~33%, ash content of ~8%, and Net Calorific Value (NCV) of ~8.9 MJ/kg. 

2. Management of Municipal Solid Wastes in Mauritius

Solid Wastes Management Infrastructures 

• Mauritius has one major sanitary landfill, five Transfer Stations, and three Civic Amenity Centres (CAC) which are under the responsibility of the Solid Waste Management Division.

   

• Waste collection services are provided mainly by twelve Local Authorities comprising of 5 Municipal Councils and 7 District Councils and is carried out either in house, or outsourced, or both. The collected wastes transit through five strategically located transfer stations namely at Poudre d’Or, Roche Bois, La Chaumière, La Brasserie and at La Laura. Each of the five transfer stations across the island covers a specific region for waste collection. Waste collected by the Local Authorities (except for Grand Port and Savanne District Councils) and other waste generators transit through these transfer stations where these municipal wastes are filled in bigger truck trailers and sent for landfilling at Mare Chicose. 

   

• The Local Authorities altogether spend around Rs 1 billion annually on waste collection services only.

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                       Financial Implications for projects of Solid Waste Management Division

Source: Solid Waste Management Division, Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change

Please find the link to : Registration of Recyclers and exporters of wastes

3. Final Disposal: The Mare Chicose Landfill

Mare Chicose is the only landfill in Mauritius, receiving over 1,500 tons of waste daily. It is an engineered landfill with:

• Leachate treatment systems to prevent groundwater contamination.
• Gas capture systems for methane extraction.
• Waste compacting to maximize landfill lifespan.

With Mauritius' increasing waste generation, Mare Chicose is expected to reach full capacity within the next decade, making alternative waste management solutions a top priority.

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4. Future Strategies

• Revolutionising Waste Management through the implementation of Waste Segregation at Source.

• Public Awareness Campaigns – Strengthen education on waste separation, composting, and recycling.

• Setting up of Integrated Waste Processing Facilities to promote recycling and resource recovery of organic waste and recyclables.

• Vertical Expansion of the Landfill to ensure environmentally safe disposal capacity for at least 10-15 years and beyond.

• Implementation of EPR Scheme for the management of E-Waste and Beverage Containers (PET).

• Waste-to-Energy Technology to be considered in the medium-to long term as a complementary solution for residual waste that cannot be effectively recycled.