Mauritius generates around 29 tonnes of hazardous medical waste every week. With only two operational medical incinerators on the island, and untreated hazardous waste frequently reaching landfill, the pressure to manage this waste stream safely is growing.
The Engineering & Consulting divison of Veolia, in partnership with GIBB (Mauritius) Ltd, is supporting the Ministry of Health and Wellness in developing a feasibility study for a new healthcare waste treatment facility, funded through the Global Environment Facility (GEF) ISLANDS programme.
Over the next 14 months, our team will:
- Quantify and characterise medical waste volumes across the island
- Assess best available technologies and determine the optimal centralised or decentralised treatment model for medical waste
- Deliver the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and Environmental and Social Management Plan (ESMP)
- Prepare tender documents for the facility's design, construction and O&M, analysing both EPC and PPP procurement models
- Provide gender-responsive training to 300 healthcare facility staff on waste segregation, handling and disposal practices
- Draft a new directive and policy paper on healthcare waste management, addressing long-term financial and operational sustainability
For an island state such as Mauritius, where landfill capacity is finite and the coastline sits close to every disposal site, this project will help protect public health and the natural environment, while strengthening the regulatory framework that governs healthcare waste in the country.