World Bank Recognizes Maldives In Turning Waste to Wealth, Energizing Youth and Safeguarding Future

The ocean is a matter of life and death for the idyllic islands of the Maldives. Tourism and fishing are the main economic drivers in these crystal-clear waters. But despite being less than one meter above sea level, its 26 atolls and nearly 1,200 coral islands are constantly in danger of being flooded by rising waters brought on by climate change. But in addition to the plastic and other debris that the tides bring in, this island nation also faces a threat from poorly managed waste generated on its own soil.
 
As landfills are not feasible in a country that is 99 percent water, the majority of the 860 metric tons of waste—the majority plastic—generated daily in the Maldives is burned out in the open. Microplastics find their way into the stomachs of marine life, contaminating food sources and harming its coral reefs and maritime economy. The toxic smoke also produces carbon emissions and poses public health risks for half a million Maldivians.
 
Adopting sustainable waste management techniques is a necessity, not an option, for the Maldives. Building better for this country's tourism-driven economy after the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused its GDP to decline by 16 percent, depends on protecting its priceless natural resources. Private hotels that welcome 1.5 million tourists a year generate 90% of the island nation's tax income.
 
Turning the Tide of Waste into Wealth
 
Maldives is not giving up because it is determined not to let waste destroy its economy. To ensure a green, sustainable future, it is transitioning from a linear "use and dispose" system of waste management to a circular economy.
 
The Maldives Clean Environment Project (MCEP) and the Maldives Enhancing Employability and Resilience of Youth (MEERY) Project, two World Bank-financed projects that are also supported by PROBLUE, have been assisting the government in developing a sustainable waste management system, building capacity, and instructing youth to lay the foundation for a cleaner and safer Maldives.

 
Fighting and Befriending Waste: How It’s Done
 
Create Waste Management Facilities: To manage its waste more effectively and sustainably, the Maldives is working with a number of development partners, including the World Bank, to build regional waste processing facilities like the Vandhoo Regional Facility in the north and inhabited island waste and resource management centers. Recently, the government has changed course to implement more decentralized atoll-level waste management strategies that will improve coordination and efficiency at the local levels, increase local waste processing to reduce reliance on central facilities, and also save on transportation expenses.
 
Strengthening National Policy: A first class of single-use plastics will no longer be produced, imported, or consumed as of June 1, 2022. This policy has been informed by a series of World Bank-funded pilot initiatives conducted in conjunction with local NGOs to increase awareness of marine litter and incentivize citizens to use alternatives to single-use plastics.
 
Source Segregation of Waste: This is the highest priority waste management strategy for this archipelago, despite the importance of funding waste management facilities and prohibiting single-use plastics. This is the one to concentrate on if there is a magic solution. Reduce the amount of residual waste that needs expensive transportation by segregating and processing each waste stream separately at the source. Additionally, the amount of materials that can be recycled and reused increases.
 
The Maldives Arts and Crafts Society (MACCS), Parley for the Oceans, and another local NGO, Zero Waste Maldives, promoted household kitchen gardening and composting training across all atolls to encourage source separation of waste through pilot projects funded by the World Bank PROBLUE. Participants in the community-based workshops expressed enthusiasm and a sense of camaraderie.
 
Developing New Business Models: The NGOs are also actively promoting waste recycling and reuse, which is laying the groundwork for social norm shifts and new economic opportunities. In order to encourage neighborhood businesses to switch from using plastic bags to using cloth ones and rewarding customers who reuse them, MACCS brought together local women to create reusable bags from recycled clothing. Additionally, since women oversee household shopping and waste disposal and hold a significant position in the Maldives' waste management hierarchy, educating and empowering women about waste management can result in significant changes in attitudes on the islands.
 
Forge Public-Private Partnerships: The success of sustainable waste management for a country known for its "one island, one resort" concept depends on public-private partnerships with resorts situated within the same atoll and sharing the same protected waters. The Namoona Baa initiative, started by the Maldivian resort Soneva Fushi in collaboration with a group of 11 neighboring Islands to pledge to stop openly burning island waste and transition to eco-friendly waste management, has been a resounding success in the Maldives. An impressive 87 percent of the 63,000 kilograms of compressed waste from these islands that were collected in December 2021 alone was "treatable waste," which could either be composted on the island itself or sent elsewhere for recycling.

 
The Future of Progress is Youth
 
Youth is the most valuable resource when it comes to shaping a country's future, especially for the Maldives, where the youngest population in South Asia comprises more than 40% of the total population between the ages of 18 and 34. While MCEP continues to support the development of waste management infrastructure, increase capacity, and encourage behavior change, the MEERY project is looking to the future and how the Maldives can better capitalize on the demographic dividend of its young people, particularly as they take on jobs that will protect the country's future.
 
Both the MCEP and MEERY projects are working with local universities to improve waste-related curricula for supervisory and policy professionals as well as vital vocational skills and training for young people just entering the workforce. Both initiatives will contribute to the creation of a fresh group of green jobs and business opportunities designed to strengthen the Maldivian economy. The MERRY team is also prepared to present a "Waste to Wealth" certificate course, which is currently being tested on a number of islands and is intended for islanders who can be crucial in waste management. These initiatives come at a perfect time given the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused many Maldivians to lose their jobs and require assistance in finding new employment.
 

- Article Reference –
- All photos, including cover photo, taken from Parley Maldives –