WAMCO is to sell bin-liners!
In a move towards banning single-use plastic in the Maldives, the Government recently announced that starting from the 18th of April 2023, every plastic bag that is purchased will be charged the Government fee of MVR 2.
The latest headlines in the Maldives are all filled with the news about plastic bags and the fees that the Government has recently started implementing them.
In a move towards banning single-use plastic in the Maldives, the Government recently announced that starting from the 18th of April 2023, every plastic bag that is purchased will be charged the Government fee of MVR 2. While many shoppers expected this fee to be implemented only on the plastic bags that they purchased goods in, to many people’s shock the MVR 2 charges applied to every single plastic bag that is bought for any and all reasons.
This meant that the packs of plastic bags that people are purchasing in order to dispose of their waste would also cost MVR 2 per every single plastic bag in the bundle. With this new charge, disapproval and criticism came the moment the bill was passed as plastic bag bundles which cost MVR 25 would now cost over MVR 200, making it impossible to depose waste at a cheap price.
While this new additional fee came as a part of the Waste Management Act (WMA) which was passed in November 2022 in order to move the Maldives towards a more sustainable future, it appeared that the cost of moving towards a more climate-resistant and greener future was to be borne by the citizens.
Following major criticism in the past few days, Waste Management Corporation Limited (WAMCO) has announced that the company will be distributing bin liners free of additional Government charges in the future. While the cost of these bin liners has not yet been announced to the public, WAMCO has announced that they will be retailing these bin liners starting this Thursday, 27th April 2023.
According to the organisation, they will be retailing green and black bin liners of three different sizes 11x17, 18x27 and 36x48. Starting next Thursday these tax-free plastic bags will be available at the waste transfer stations located in the Greater Male’ Area.
Along with this new development, WAMCO has also requested citizens to segregate their waste by putting perishable waste into green bin liner bags and the rest of the trash into black bags. This request was made in an effort to finally move towards a successful outcome of the waste segregation initiative which was started in January 2022 and has failed to be implemented to this day.
