The Malé Waste Transfer Station, located at Malé’s Industrial Village and developed with a view to significantly upgrade the city’s waste management processes, was inaugurated by outgoing Vice President Faisal Naseem on Monday.
Aminath Shauna, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology, had originally slated the opening of the station for July of this year.
The US$11.8 million (MVR 183 million) facility spans 65,000 square feet and will collect, process, and sort waste from Malé, Hulhumalé, and Villimalé before transferring the waste material to Thilafushi in packed containers, preventing spillage while also presumably optimising transfer volumes. The project was funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan Fund for Joint Credit Mechanism (JFJCM), Technical Assistance Special Fund (TASF), and the government.
The facility comprises two buildings; a three-storey building for waste collection, and a seven-storey building for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology’s waste management department, Waste Management Company (WAMCO), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).