Thilafushi Waste Management Overhaul: Gov’t Conducts a Press Tour
In 1970, the Maldives grappled with a waste crisis, prompting the decision to fill Thilafushi island’s lagoon with waste. Fast forward to 2023, and a waste management project is promised to provide a solution for the growing waste management issue.
Thilafushi, located just four miles from the capital of Male’, became the chosen site for waste disposal in 1992 due to the exhaustion of landfill space in Male’. The subsequent decades saw Thilafushi evolve into a hub for waste from both Male’ and the surrounding islands including, resorts. The manual sorting of diverse waste types, from plastics to medical waste became a daily routine.
Open burning emerged as a common practice to reduce waste volumes, raising concerns about incomplete combustion and toxic emissions. Recycling efforts, although present, had not gained significant traction. The absence of weighing scales added to the complexity of managing the influx of waste, reaching over half a million tons in 2013.
Minister Thoriq Ibrahim, who inspected the ongoing project yesterday, said he aims to revolutionise Thilafushi’s waste management. This venture is backed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Islamic Development Bank (ISDB) and the Governments of Japan and Dhaka, and is set to unfold in two phases.
Under Phase 1, a modern regional waste management center has taken shape on Thilafushi, encompassing harbor rehabilitation, a waste processing area and administrative structures. Simultaneously, construction efforts such as the workshop and a construction and demolition waste plant, are underway.
Phase 2 introduces the “Greater Male’ Waste to Energy Project”, a step towards establishing a sustainable waste disposal system, as per previous government. The future plant slated for completion in 2026, aims to process 500 tonnes of waste daily, contributing 8-10MW of energy to the region’s electricity grid.
During Minister Thoriq’s visit yesterday, he emphasised the urgency of completing the project in alignment with the proposed schedule. The Minister also revealed a national waste management project in line with the new government’s commitment to addressing environmental challenges within its first 100 days.
As Thilafushi goes through this transformation, the waste management is said to promise a cleaner and more efficient system.
“The incinerator is capable of burning 500 tonnes of garbage per day. Now we have information that more garbage needs to be burned. More than 1,000 tonnes of garbage is coming here every day. It’s necessary to establish an incinerator that can burn more than 1000 tonnes of garbage,” said Minister Thoriq Ibrahim during his visit, speaking to the media.
Waste to Energy, or incineration, which has been endorsed by both the previous government and the newly elected government, is widely criticised among environmentalists. Many believe in addition to it being harmful to the environment, it’s also a waste of funds.
“Despite the previous government’s awareness of climate change impacts, it continued to endorse the incineration greenwashed as waste-to-energy as the waste management solution for the Maldives,” stated Afrah Ismail, environmentalist and Co-founder of Zero Waste Maldives, giving a comment to MV+ on the issue.
“However, incineration facilities, including the R. Vandhoo Regional Waste Management Facility and the four small-scale incinerators in Maafushi, Kulhudhufushi, Thinadhoo, and Fuvahmulah, remain non-functional.”
Afrah also highlighted that it’s time for a change in our approach to waste management. He proposed to adopt genuine solutions, such as waste reduction, minimisation, and decentralised waste management at a local level, rather than promoting the ineffective waste-to-energy strategy.
