Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Technology Aminath Shauna has revealed that the Male’ Waste Transfer Station will begin operations in July.
Speaking to journalists after inspecting the project site, Minister Shauna said the waste transfer station will revolutionise waste management in the Greater Male’ Region as it will include an administrative block that Waste Management Corporation (WAMCO) and other authorities can use to monitor the system. She said that the facility will also include pickup trucks and other resources.
Also speaking to journalists, Managing Director of WAMCO Yoosuf Siraj said that the waste transfer station will solve the problem of waste being leaked into the ocean while it is being transferred to Thilafushi. The facility has the means to measure and transfer waste from the decks of its five waste tipping bays into containers, replacing the transfer of waste via barges.
The project to develop the waste transfer stations is a joint venture between the Government of the Maldives and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia, and the Pacific (JFPR). The Male’ Waste Transfer Station and the adjoining administrative block are constructed as part of the Greater Male’ Environmental Improvement and Waste Management Project intended for the Greater Male’ Region and Zone 3. The station is expected to revolutionise waste management in Male’ City and includes waste tipping decks, an administrative building, and a weighbridge to monitor and track waste statistics before being transferred to Thilafushi.