A by-product of rapid economic growth, the volume of solid waste generated by Qatar has been increasing steadily in recent years. While the government is looking to reduce this output by encouraging waste minimisation and recycling efforts, investments in additional processing facilities will likely be necessary.
Some 871,000 tonnes of domestic waste were produced in 2012, up 7% from 2011, according to data issued in May by the Ministry of Environment. The government has forecast that GDP expansion will slow to 5.3% this year, but growth in the population, which rose by 7.6% in 2012, is likely to put additional pressure on waste disposal facilities.
Doha’s main waste processing plant, the Domestic Solid Waste Management Centre (DSWMC), is working at full capacity, dealing with 2300 tonnes of solid domestic and commercial refuse a day, according to Geoffrey Piggott, the regional manager for Keppel Seghers, the international waste management and engineering firm that designed, constructed and now operates the facility. When the $550m plant, located at Mesaieed, first came on-line in 2011, it was meant to have a capacity sufficient for the next eight years to meet Qatar’s growing waste management needs, putting an end to the use of landfill sites for domestic waste disposal.
While much of the waste processed at the DSWMC is utilised for secondary purposes – organic material is composted, plastics and metals recycled and other material incinerated, with the heat generated used to produce electricity – the simple fact is that Qatar is now producing more raw waste than envisaged and that can be handled.
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