Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology Aminath Shauna has stated that lifestyle changes are needed to improve waste management in the Maldives. She made the remarks while speaking at the official launching ceremony of Fasgandu, the national campaign to improve public awareness and engagement toward sustainable waste and resource management.
The campaign was officially launched by Minister of Education Dr. Aishath Ali. The campaign is built around sustainability in mind, with the objective of achieving sound management of the country’s resources.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Shauna said that changes to lifestyle have resulted in people using items and resources that are difficult to eliminate, resulting in the accumulation of waste. She highlighted that 400 tonnes of waste are generated daily in the Greater Male’ Region and that the issue cannot be solved unless each individual avoids using single-use items when recyclable alternatives are available.
Furthermore, Minister Shauna emphasised the importance of reusing items in order to maintain the natural beauty of the Maldives. She acknowledged that such actions are difficult to instill and it would take years to see results. She, however, assured the campaign will continue along with the various government projects and policies.
As part of the national campaign, surveys will be conducted on the challenges the atolls are facing in managing waste in order to further improve waste management mechanisms. The campaign will also focus on creating public awareness of sustainable waste and resource management.
The government has established six waste management centres in the past few years and work is ongoing to establish waste management systems in 42 islands. Many islands are facing issues of being unable to eliminate the waste at landfills. The government plans to separate waste that islands are unable to eliminate and transfer them to regional waste management facilities.