Waste Management Corporation (WAMCO) is considering to charge an extra for waste collected from the doorstep of residences.
The company’s Managing Director Yoosuf Siraj said that WAMCO will begin collecting waste outside of the apartments from April onwards. The decision follows the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Technology’s move to include waste collection fees in electricity bills.
The ministry decided to include the charge in electricity bills since several households do not pay waste collection charges regularly. According to the ministry, out of the 53,000 registered residences, only 20,000 paid the fee regularly.
“We have not yet decided the charges we will levy for the service [of collecting waste from the doorstep]. But we are discussing the prices,” Siraj said.
He also said that this change will solve the issue of the significant payment receivables to the company. WAMCO is expected to generate a monthly revenue of MVR7.5 million following this move.
WAMCO has faced financial constraints owing to a significant amount of the company’s income held in receivables due which it has struggled to procure new equipment or repair existing assets.
The company currently charges MVR150 for waste collection from residential apartments while WAMCO recently revised its fee structure.