Environment Ministry: Thilafushi waste management facility can handle 500-tonne waste daily

Environment Ministry has announced that construction of a central waste management facility in K. Thilafushi, developed under the Greater Malé Regional Waste Management System, is progressing rapidly, with the facility designed to process up to 500 tonnes of waste daily.

Speaking at a press conference held at the President's Office on Tuesday, Director General of the Ministry's Waste Management and Pollution Control Department Ahmed Murthaza, said that 40 percent of the facility's civil construction has been completed.

Emphasizing the facility's waste-to-energy capabilities, Murthaza said the plant will generate 13 megawatts of electricity by processing 500 tonnes of waste daily. Of this total, 10 megawatts will be supplied to the national power grid.

He also stated that the emission control system being installed at the facility has been designed to comply with the highest international environmental standards.

"The regional waste management facility for the central Maldives is being established in K. Thilafushi. Previously, this was a site where waste was disposed of into the sea and surroundings without any proper system. However, the site is now being transformed into a modern facility," Murthaza said.

Murthaza further said that bottom ash produced through the incineration process will be treated for use in the construction sector and made available commercially. He added that the incinerator required for the facility has already been imported to the Maldives and transported to Thilafushi.

Addressing the country's overall waste generation, Murthaza noted that the Maldives produces approximately 517,000 tonnes of waste each year, with the tourism industry accounting for the largest proportion.

According to the Environment Ministry, the Thilafushi facility will handle waste generated in the Greater Malé region as well as islands across the central atolls, extending from Kaafu Atoll to Laamu Atoll.

The government expects that the completion of these projects will establish a comprehensive and sustainable circular waste management system throughout the Maldives.