Malé, Maldives – The government on Wednesday launched one of the largest waste management initiatives in Maldives’ history, the Greater Malé Waste to Energy Project worth USD 304 million.
The project extends from the Greater Malé region to the Ari and Vaavu Atolls. Environmental protection and preservation are accorded high priority by the administration. One of its efforts to reduce hazardous waste includes the phasing out of single-use plastics; in June 2021, the Maldives prohibited the importing, manufacturing, and marketing of some items declared as single-use plastics.
[This] administration’s environmental protection policy does not preclude proper waste management, but is comprehensive enough to encompass the reduction of hazardous waste
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
Addressing the function, President Solih underscored that proper waste management has always been a challenge for the Maldives. “Our islands are remote and dispersed over a wide geographical area, adding unique challenges to safely transporting waste,” he said. “Solving these problems require innovative and ambitious projects such as this one.”
Speaking about waste collection, transfer, and disposal at the regional waste management facility on Thilafushi Island, President Solih underscored the unsustainable way it had been handled in the past. He noted that plumes of smoke produced at Thilafushi, which caused severe air pollution and challenges for residents of Villimalé, had ceased since September 2021.
I look forward to seeing the second phase in action, and for the Maldives to be placed on the map as a global leader in sustainable waste management.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
In addition to the Greater Malé Waste to Energy Project, the government yesterday signed an agreement worth USD 13.9 million (AED 51.4 million) with Abu Dhabi Fund for Development for the development of a new waste-to-energy plant Addu City, Maldives. The project will help reduce waste by 10%, provide electricity to 6,000 households, and promote sustainable Economic Development in the Maldives.
The Greater Malé Waste to Energy Project is carried out with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and Japan Fund for the Joint Crediting Mechanism, Technical Assistance Special Fund, and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB).
