In 80% of countries around the world, solid waste is disposed of into landfills and dump sites, notes France-based multinational group Suez’ Waste-to-Energy director Odile Oberti. She was addressing the International Solid Waste Association conference, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, on Tuesday.

Dump sites create lots of issues, she pointed out. When they were poorly managed, or not managed at all, they produced a range of types of pollution, including of water, air and soil. They generated greenhouse gases (GHGs). They produced unpleasant odours. They were health hazards. They were often geotechnically unstable, which was important because many people walked on them, looking to scavenge material for recycling. And fires were another hazard.

But the fact that people actively sought to recover material from dump sites highlighted another important aspect of them. They generated income for the communities living around them.

What was the solution that would eliminate the severe downsides of a dump site while keeping its income-generating capacity for the local people? The dump site should be redesigned to be sanitary, and to greatly reduce if not totally eliminate all forms of pollution and GHG emissions, she affirmed. Materials should be recovered from the site, using the local people, but in a more organised way. Each dump site should have a composting plant and a biogas electricity generation plant.

This approach would convert dump sites into green landfills. This would bring economic benefits, including job creation, environmental benefits, and health benefits. It would also generate green electricity, advance the circular economy, and benefit sustainability.

Oberti pointed out that Suez currently managed 64 landfills around the world, including in African and European countries. As part of its landfill management strategy, the group was developing capabilities in the generation of green electricity.

The Suez group specialises in waste and water management. It currently operates in 40 countries, with 40 000 employees, worldwide. The company was created about 160 years ago, to build and operate the Suez Canal – hence the group’s name. It later diversified its business away from the canal (ceasing to have anything to do with the waterway) and into the water and later waste sectors.