Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology has begun to take the necessary steps to propose changes to the Waste Management Act, amending the clause in the law which allows the import of waste to the country.
The Waste Management Act, ratified on December 18, dictates that the master plan should be formulated within one year and reviewed every five years to make changes. Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Climate Change included some crucial amendments during its review, including allowing waste to be brought into the Maldives on certain conditions. The bill initially included a clause banning any import of waste to the country. However, the committee included the amendment to allow the country to bring in waste, as many countries now consider waste a resource for producing energy.
The environment ministry has said the government has no plans to allow the import of waste to the Maldives, adding the priority is to solve the longstanding issues in waste management. The ministry has estimated that the amount of waste collected at Thilafushi, Kaafu Atoll, will increase significantly over the next 10 years. As such, one of the top priorities of the government will be to reduce the amount of waste generated and build a society that is familiar with reuse and recycling.