National Solid Waste Management Policy for the Republic of Maldives.

The National Solid Waste Management Policy is a national policy with a sectoral approach. The overall purpose of the policy is to strengthen solid waste management by encouraging waste recycling and reuse and influencing consumer preferences, in order to protect the environment and improve the living conditions of people and communities in the Maldives. This policy lays down five principal objectives: (I) establishing and activating waste management governance; (II) creating waste producers' duties; (III) establishing the waste management infrastructure; (IV) activating the waste management system; and (V) influencing consumer choices and waste management practices.
This policy puts emphasis on waste awareness, incentives to encourage positive waste management behaviour and enforcement of punitive measures to dissuade negative waste management behaviour. Waste prevention initiatives will be prioritized to reduce the rate at which wastes are being produced by encouraging waste recycling, reuse and influencing consumer preferences. Fiscal incentives and disincentives will be pursued to discourage the purchase of goods of significant waste concern and to reverse poor waste management behaviour. The polluter pays principle will be applied through user pays services, where the waste generator pays for the services used to collect, transport, treat and dispose of wastes produced. Governance structure for solid waste management will be strengthened by determining the roles and responsibilities at island, regional and national levels and enhance their capacities through training and financial assistance to perform their duties. Community awareness and engagement in good waste management practices will be increased in a socially equitable manner by participating in waste awareness programs and in waste management planning processes irrespective of gender at island, atoll, regional and national level. The participation of private sector will be encouraged to introduce private sector financing into waste management system and hence deliver sustainable waste services. Furthermore, legislative framework will be updated to provide for the effective implementation of this policy. Waste management infrastructure will be established, including the development of Island Waste Management Centres and Regional Waste Management Facilities which enable wastes to be managed and disposed as close as possible to the place of their generation. A national recycling strategy will be developed to guide the development of a national recycling industry. Moreover, operational policies, guidelines and standard operating procedures will be implemented for the safe collection, handling and disposal of the special wastes, such as healthcare wastes occurring from medical, veterinary, pharmaceutical practices, and MARPOL wastes occurring from garbage from ships operating in marine waters both internationally and domestically. A database will be developed to provide reliable accurate information about the types and quantities of wastes and details of their transport, treatment and final disposal location.