Malé City Council has cautioned the Waste Management Corporation (WAMCO) to follow proper waste disposal protocol. The corporation was warned that action would be taken against them if they did not comply with official regulations.
At a press conference held on Wednesday, Malé City's mayor, Dr Mohamed Muizzu accused the corporation of purposefully disrupting the waste collection process for political gain. He claimed that WAMCO had intentionally refused to collect waste from its collection points on Tuesday evening.
“Their collection teams were not even operational last night,” Muizzu said at the conference.
Dr Muizzu urged the city’s residents not to keep trash outside their residential buildings as it is WAMCO's responsibility to go to individual households to collect the garbage. He said that it was a service that WAMCO was obliged to provide and one that the residents of Malé were paying for. Therefore, residents taking out their own trash and keeping it outside their buildings was counterproductive, Dr Muizzu said.
He said that the City Council will put out an official notice requesting all Malé residents to stop keeping trash outside their buildings. He cited the Waste Management Act, the Public Health Act, and the various environmental laws in the Maldives to emphasise the redundancy of WAMCO's decision that allowed waste to be placed on the streets.
He stated that strict measures will be taken against WAMCO for any violation of these regulations. If the corporation continued to allow waste to be placed on the streets for collection, the City Council will have no choice but to transport the waste directly to WAMCO's site, Dr Muizzu warned.
The Mayor called for the public's support in keeping the Malé streets clean and garbage-free. He asked all Malé residents to consider it their individual responsibility to not leave trash out on the streets.
He urged the public to only leave trash on their doorsteps if they had no other choice and reaffirmed that the City Council would be responsible for removing it. He added that the council had already acquired 10 vehicles for waste management operations.
The Malé City Council took over waste management operations in Malé and Vilimalé after their contract with WAMCO expired. The council refused to renew the contract claiming the corporation fell short of fulfilling its responsibilities in maintaining the cleanliness of the city, despite the significant budget allocated to them.
The two parties attempted to resolve the difference, but discussions did not materialise into an actionable plan. Therefore, the City Council decided to take on the responsibility of waste management and keeping the public areas clean in Malé and Vilimalé, and WAMCO was tasked with collecting waste from individual households.
Malé City Council has already hired over 80 staff for its waste management operation. The council hired 28 people for the upkeep of Vilimalé, while another 120 people are to be hired for the Malé area.
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