Following the integration of Waste Management Corporation (WAMCO) fees into the State Electric Company's (STELCO) bills, WAMCO has announced that it will not collect trash from registered houses that fail to pay their utility bills for three consecutive months.
The current administration had earlier announced the integration of STELCO's electricity charges and WAMCO waste collection fees into a single bill. The regulation, including penalties for non-compliance, has been published in the Maldives gazette on Monday, May 29.
All registered households with WAMCO are required to settle their bills within seven days from the date of issuance. Failure to pay the charges within the specified duration will result in the first notice. If the household fails to pay after receiving the initial notice, a fine of MVR 5 will be imposed. Furthermore, WAMCO has the authority to discontinue waste collection services for residences with three months of overdue bills.
According to the regulation, residences that wish to resume waste collection services after clearing their overdue charges will be required to pay an additional fee of MVR 50 to restart the service.
WAMCO further said that the combined bill, which will be issued in June, will not reflect any previous outstanding fines. Regardless of any fines incurred prior to the combined bill, WAMCO will continue providing waste collection services once the charges are tied to STELCO's bill.
WAMCO said customers who paid in advance will have their advance fee deductions reflected on the combined bill as well.
WAMCO will reportedly charge MVR 4.93 on a per day basis for waste collection, effective from June, which is MVR 150 per month. Earlier, the authority announced that households producing electricity lower than 34 units will be identified as residences that do not produce waste.