The Government of the Maldives has decided to provide financial assistance from the Green Fund for local island councils to improve waste management mechanisms.
Several local councils have expressed concern over the lack of funding to improve waste management in the islands. The lack of sustainable waste management mechanisms increases the risk of environmental damage. As such, local councils stated the budgets do not have enough finances to implement solutions. The government’s current policy consists of collecting waste from the islands and transferring them to regional waste management centres. In this regard, the government has decided to fund solutions to improve waste management in the islands under the Decentralisation Act.
Speaking at the 4th Congress of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology Aminath Shauna said the income received through the Green Tax will be used to allocate a budget for waste management, which will be distributed to local councils next year. She said that local councils can use the funds to procure vehicles and hire workers to collect waste from households.
The Green Fund was introduced in 2016 with the aim of tackling environmental issues in the Maldives as per the Tourism Act of the Maldives. As such, USD6 is charged as Green Tax per tourist for each day they spend at a resort or a hotel in the Maldives, while USD3 is charged as Green Tax per tourist for each day they stay at a guesthouse. Earlier this year, Parliament of the Maldives passed an amendment to increase the Green Tax amount taken from tourists staying at large guesthouses.