Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology Aminath Shauna has stated that now is the best time to segregate waste. She made the remarks on Twitter after the implementation of the new regulations on waste sorting from June 1.
In the tweet, Minister Shauna said the best time to segregate waste was 20 years ago and that the next best time is now. She also said the Waste Management Corporation Limited (WAMCO) has been collecting segregated waste in 12 Hiyaa towers for the past one-and-a-half months, adding that 90% of the households are adhering to the new regulations and that waste is also segregated in most outer islands.
Also on Twitter, WAMCO stated the new regulations have been positively received by its customers and that they have repeatedly shown their willingness to follow instructions and give their full effort to segregating their waste. WAMCO also praised customers who adhered to the regulations on the first day.
Speaking to PSM News, Senior Public Relations Officer of WAMCO Ahmed Azim said the main purpose of the new regulations is to sustainably manage and dispose of waste. He said the company is working to fully transition to sustainable waste management by procuring the necessary equipment and resources and instructing its workers to segregate waste during transfer and disposal.
The new waste management regulations mandate households in the Greater Male’ Region to begin sorting and separating the waste into three types before collection by WAMCO starting on June 1. As such, residents of the Greater Male’ Region are required to separate plastic bottles from biodegradable and other types of waste while residents in the atolls, resorts, and industrial islands are required to separate glass bottles from the rest of their waste.
WAMCO said its waste collection and disposal routine will remain the same, despite the new requirement to separate the waste before collection, and that workers will soon begin using environmentally friendly bags for disposal.