In Male', 1.7kg of waste per head is generated every day. In the rest of the country, it is 800g of waste per head each day. It costs MVR 2400 (USD 156) to dispose of each ton of trash.
While large sums of money are needed to carry out the work of waste collection, the proportionately small number of people who pay the monthly fee is insufficient to cover expenses, according to the Waste Management Corporation (WAMCO). Most people do not pay the bill because it is cumbersome, WAMCO said.
Changes were brought to the waste management regulations last April to merge the WAMCO bill and electricity bill. The decision was made because only 27 percent of households in the capital paid the waste collection fee despite WAMCO collecting garbage in the entire Greater Male' region.
How will this be done?
With this change, the MVR 150 owed to WAMCO will not have to be paid separately. The WAMCO fee will be included as a separate "line item" in the State Electricty Company's (STELCO) bill. The first merged bill would be the one for May, WAMCO said.
The electricty bill together with the WAMCO bill will only be sent if more than 50 units of electricity are used every month. Otherwise, the house would be considered vacant. If there are two meters in one household, one meter will be charged. WAMCO has launched a survey to identify such meters.
The benefits to the public:
- Not having to pay the fee separately
- Not having to register with WAMCO
- The fee will only be charged to electricity meters installed in homes with inhabitants
- Fewer bills to pay
Merging the bills
WAMCO was formed seven years ago by the previous government for the purpose of achieving a permanent solution to the waste management problem. As there was no necessity for households to register with the company under the billing structure formulated at the time, only about 35 percent of Male' households have registered with WAMCO to date.
But households that are not registered with WAMCO also bring out their garbage to the road. With the exception of a small segment of the population in Male', most households disposed of their waste without any payment until the present day.
Environment minister Aminath Shauna said efforts to tie the bills in a bid to solve the problem were underway last December.
WAMCO previously planned to merge the bills in April. But due to delays for various reasons in signing the agreement with STELCO, the waste and electricity fees will be merged in the bill sent in June.
