China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited (CSCEC) has been awarded the contract to build a processing plant for the safe disposal of construction and demolition waste, or construction debris and large heavy waste, at the Thilafushi Regional Waste Management Facility.
The plant will be built under the Greater Male' Environmental Improvement and Waste Management Project being implemented by the government in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The plant will be located on 39,000sqft of land in the Thilafushi Regional Waste Management Facility. The plant will be capable of preparing five grades of aggregate for construction using concrete waste. The plant is expected to be constructed and operated within the next 12 months and will cost USDUSD4 million.
The contract includes the design, supply, and installation of the plant. As such, the contractor has agreed to design the concrete platform and superstructures of the plant including the carriageway. The plant has been designed in accordance with international climate and disaster resistance standards set by ADB.
Under the agreement, the contractor will build the plant and provide spare parts for the first two years of operation. In addition, employees of Waste Management Corporation (WAMCO) will be trained to increase the technical capacity required to operate the plant.
To identify the importance of establishing such a plant, the government commissioned British engineering consultant firm Mott McDonald to prepare a study on how to manage construction waste in the Maldives from 2019 to 2021. The study found that the amount of concrete and demolition waste produced in the country has increased and the waste can be recycled. According to the latest statistics, the amount of concrete and demolition waste transported to Thilafushi has increased by more than 200 tonnes per day.