Although the Maldives is a beautiful nation, one of the biggest issues that it continues to face is the proper disposal of waste. This issue, especially evident in the Greater Male’ Area reached new levels as household waste being left on roadsides became a common phenomenon, especially before the month of Ramadan. As 2021 approached, the Government of the Maldives acknowledged that the root cause behind these issues is the lack of an organised and sustainable waste management system. With 774 tonnes of mixed soiled waste being disposed of in the Greater Male’ Area and 32 inhabited outer islands, the need for a proper waste management system became an evident need in the Maldives.
To bring a positive change to the waste management system in the country, on the 17th of August 2021, the Government finally took some real measures by publishing an amendment to the Waste Management Regulation 2013/R-58 in Gazette. While this move, introduced by the Government in 2021 became a focal point for introducing a source segregation system, a project started by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment in 2018 called the ‘Greater Male’ Environment Improvement and Waste Management Project’ played a key role in ensuring the future success of proper waste segregation and management in the Maldives.
With a key focus on establishing a Regional Waste Management Facility (RWMF) with a waste-to-energy treatment plant in Thilafushi, the project with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, and the Maldives kickstarted in 2018. The project was divided into two phases:
Phase 1: USD 40 million
- Waste collection, transfer and disposal systems improved and made climate and disaster-resilient
- Community-based outer island waste management systems targeting the poor and women enhanced
- Institutional capacity and public awareness of sustainable waste management strengthened
Phase 2: USD 127.5 million
- New regional waste management facility with WTE treatment plant and engineered landfill for residues
- Dumpsite rehabilitation and remediation
- Project Management, design and supervision consultant support
Giving the latest update on this project that was started in 2018, the Minister of Tourism and Environment Thoriq Ibrahim, following a visit to Thilafushi alongside President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, has ensured that the project is continuing swiftly. To ensure the successful completion of the first phase of the project which targets waste collection and management, Thilafushi is now undergoing some major changes. This initiative has seen Thilafushi establishing new Waste Transfer Stations, the establishment of a Demolition Waste Processing Plant, and a dedicated plant being established to wreck and demolish used vehicles as well.
Giving a proper completion timeline for the project, Minister Thoriq has signalled that upon the successful completion of the first phase of the project, the completion of the second phase which will see the introduction of waste-to-energy technology can be expected by late 2026. With the completion of the second phase of the project, the key issue highlighted in 2021 regarding the 744 tonnes of waste per day in the Greater Male’ area and 32 inhabited outer islands will see some proper resolution. In addition to bringing the much-needed solution to proper waste management in these islands, the completion of the project will also see the Maldives generating 13MW of energy per 500 tonnes of waste which can be processed in the incinerator system per day.
