During a workshop on waste held at Soneva Fushi resort from
January 5th to 8th, Maalhos, Dharavandhoo, and Kihaadhoo
islands in Baa Atoll pledged to end the open burning of island waste, in a
movement towards eco-friendly waste management called, Namoona Baa Atoll.
The pledge was made by the Island Council Presidents of
Maalhos, Dharavandhoo and Kihaadhoo.
In order to
end open burning of waste, each island pledged to create an eco-centro
waste-to-wealth centre that will sort, recycle, and reuse island waste. Soneva
Fushi pioneered an eco-centro model that grinds down and composts waste
materials, which can then be converted into products with economic value, such
as concrete building blocks and fertilizer. Similarly, plastic waste is either
recycled or used to create new and functional objects.
CEO and
Founder of Soneva, Sonu Shivdasani, spoke about the initiative, highlighting
their aim for waste reduction. "If we project forwards just a few years, we can
see that all islands will have thriving waste-to-wealth centres; there will be
no plastic bags; no plastic straws; islands will have their own water bottling
plants; no guesthouses of resorts will serve water in single use bottles."
The
eco-centros will be established on the three islands supported by funds from
Soneva Save our Seas programme. The first eco-centro will be inaugurated in
Maalhos this summer, ending open burning in the island as the eco-centro
becomes fully operational.
"Maalhos is
doing better than most islands when it comes to waste management but we still
face problems managing solid waste. The Namoona Baa Atoll initiative will
revolutionise the way we manage waste on Maalhos", Malhos Council President
Abdulla Shujau said.
Dharavandhoo
Council President Ali Maajidh added, "As an island that relies heavily on
guesthouse tourism, this is an exciting prospect for Dharavandhoo. I hope that
what is being done on Dharavandhoo, Kihaadhoo and Maalhos will be well received
and the government and other stakeholders will look at these three islands as a
model to be replicated on other islands".
Moreover,
the Island Council Presidents of Maalhos, Dharavandhoo and Kihaadhoo also
established a partnership between their islands, Soneva Fushi and Common Seas,
an international NGO dedicated to reducing marine plastic pollution. This
partnership, which is a part of the international Clean Blue Alliance that
supports islands to prevent plastic waste leaking into the ocean, sets a course
for Baa Atoll to become a global leader in halting ocean plastic pollution.
Senior
officials from the Presidents Office and the Ministry of Environment, who
attended the workshop, took note of the partnership and the initiative to build
eco-centros on the three islands.
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