Malé council to report WAMCO to URA over waste disposal charges

Malé City Council has decided to file a complaint with the Utility Regulatory Authority (URA) over waste disposal charges imposed by Waste Management Corporation (WAMCO) and the company's refusal to register the council as a customer.

Councillors unanimously approved the decision during a council meeting on Wednesday, agreeing to seek a review of the rates charged by WAMCO.

The matter was submitted by Maafannu North councillor Hussain Furushan, who said the rates currently charged to the council were higher than those applied to commercial customers.

According to Furushan, an agreement signed between Malé City Council and WAMCO in 2019 set a waste disposal charge of MVR 300. He said WAMCO is now charging the council nearly 12 times the rates applied to some commercial customers.

Furushan said commercial customers are charged between MVR 750 and MVR 1,250 for waste collection, while WAMCO charges the council MVR 12,810 for a 3.5-tonne pickup load.

He also questioned the charges when calculated by weight. At a rate of MVR 500 per tonne, he said, disposing of a 3.5-tonne load should cost about MVR 1,890.

Furushan said the waste handled by the council is generated by residents of Malé and that the council spent more than MVR 35 million on waste disposal in 2025.

He also raised concerns over WAMCO's revenue model, noting that waste collection payments are collected through electricity meters.

Furushan said WAMCO had recorded a profit of MVR 24 million and argued that state-owned companies providing public services should focus on service delivery rather than applying commercial mark-ups that increase costs for public bodies.

Following the discussion, the council decided to review its agreement with WAMCO and submit the matter to the URA and other authorities.

The council also referred the issue to its Waste Management Committee for further assessment before proceeding with the complaint.