New, modern landfill to be operational soon |22 October 2014

The second landfill at Providence with modern state-of-the-art waste collection and disposal facilities will see the country move away from the old, just dumping and covering system to a modern and advanced one.

Emmanuel Elizabeth, waste manager at the Landscape and Waste Management Agency (LWMA) said this to the local media yesterday during an interview at the Providence landfill 1 as scavengers searched for recyclable material amid tonnes of waste just dumped by trucks.

“The Providence landfill 1 has reached saturation height and as it is in the vicinity of the Seychelles International Airport we will stop using it soon,” said Mr Elizabeth.

The Providence landfill 1 is actually 30 metres high and Mr Elizabeth added that inside a landfill, waste breaks down and produces gas, one of which is methane. Methane which is lighter than air “burns very easily”, said Mr Elizabeth.

This is the main reason why there have been a number of fires at the landfill since last year.

Mr Elizabeth noted that they have started covering and compacting the landfill with coral fill to limit the possibility of any fire from breaking out in the future.

Talking about the new Providence landfill 2 which is not far from the current one, Mr Elizabeth said they hope it will be operational before the end of the year.

“This is a sanitary landfill. You don’t just come and dump your waste there. Waste must be sorted out, For example tree trunks and old tyres cannot be thrown onto a landfill. Actually we are working on finalising these details with the contractor,” said Mr Elizabeth, who noted that the new landfill comprises a modern and more complicated waste water treatment plant which is connected at the dumping site itself.

“The leachate that comes out of the landfill will be treated. And if toxic wastes are dumped in the new landfill, the treatment of leachate will not be effective. As a result the Public Utilities Corporation will not accept the leachate for further treatment as it is does not meet its norm set,” he said.

When the new landfill will be operational, the old one will only be used to dispose of sludge produced by the Indian Ocean Tuna and sawdust will be used to cover the waste.

The construction of the new landfill started in 2009 and was funded entirely by the European Union (EU) and all its procurement aspects were carried out under EU guidelines and procedures.

When he spoke about the issue of scavenging, Mr Elizabeth said the scavengers are becoming a big nuisance at the landfill.

“Their lives are in danger whenever they are scavenging as there is heavy machinery around and there are bound to be accidents. There is also a health issue as they do not wear gloves or any kind of protective clothing. They can also cause a fire if they are smoking on the landfill. Right now we are working with the police to step up patrol and we hope to have a security firm with an overall mission of keeping more scavengers off the landfill,” explained Mr Elizabeth.

He noted that the Anse Royale landfill is being used for residues and inert waste like glass and asbestos.

A modern landfill begins as a hole dug in the ground. It is lined with compacted soil or a man-made liner. As time goes by, the hole is filled and as more waste is added, the landfill often becomes a hill. When it reaches the point where it can take no more waste, the landfill is closed. A properly closed landfill contains a cap that limits water and moisture from seeping into it.