Abstract
Waste management in preindustrial times was simple because most of the waste consists of organic materials which decompose naturally. However with the change in consumption patterns of the Maldivians, non- biodegradable synthetic materials such as plastic have become one of the leading causes of marine and coastal pollution in the Maldives. In an attempt to identify a low cost efficient approach of Solid Waste Management system across the country, the Maldivian government has introduced a community based solid waste management system at island level. Hence, the main focus of this study is to explore factors that influence effectiveness of Community Based Solid Waste management systems implemented at island level, using Driver, Pressure, State, Impact, Response (DPSIR) framework. Community participation, community satisfaction level and community willingness to pay for the new system was evaluated in the study. Analysis of data showed, even though most people in the community were satisfied with the new system , there was no association between community satisfaction level and their willingness to pay for the sustenance of the new system. In addition, even though community was aware about plastic pollution, there was no association between community perception about plastic pollution and their willingness to adopt green consumer behaviors. The results also showed that even though majority of community members were satisfied with the current model of waste management system, the current system does not address the driving factors that contributes to solid waste generation at island level.
Highlights
The tourism industry contributes 37% of the country’s economy while fisheries industry is the second largest contributor of economic development in the Maldives. (Ministry of Tourism, 2015)
Household roles such as segregating waste at domestic level is an important components for the sustenance of solid waste management systems as most islands in the Maldives lack the financial resources to hire manpower to sort waste that are brought to the island waste management Centre, households’ willingness to pay for waste collection services compensate for the shortcomings of manpower in the waste management Centre
It can be said that as long as the community does not recognize that they are part of the environment and they have a role to play to maintain the health of the environment, the drivers of waste generation as indicated by DPSIR framework is not addressed in Community Based Solid Waste Management System, implemented in the Maldives, health of threatened coastal habitats from plastic pollution will not be improved even though there is a good governing waste management system in the islands
Summary
The tourism industry contributes 37% of the country’s economy while fisheries industry is the second largest contributor of economic development in the Maldives. (Ministry of Tourism, 2015). The tourism industry contributes 37% of the country’s economy while fisheries industry is the second largest contributor of economic development in the Maldives. Tourism and fisheries industry heavily rely on marine and coastal ecosystems for livelihood activities; as a result, coastal habitats are key ecologies that are linked to livelihood of a large percentage of the Maldivians. Any threat to these key ecologies will have a damaging impact on Maldivian economy. Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Imaging, Volume 7, No 1, February (2020), pp 10-17
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