Garbage Island

Out of Sight Out of Mind?

Inside the Maldives' Trash-Only Island 

 A worker sifting through burning garbage for valuable metals on the island of Thilafushi, the garbage-only island in the Maldives

I was horrified when I stumbled across the information on the garbage-only island called Thilafushi located in the Maldives. Out of the 100 gorgeous islands that accommodate tourists, they are turning some of the islands into dumps which takes away from the beauty of the surrounding islands.  

Usually landfills are covered and hidden from view, but this island is out in the open and can be seen by its thick black smoke that rises from it all day long. The island is only a mere four miles off of the main island Male.

The garbage is transported by boat to this island. It is a faux island that was created 1992 with the specific purpose of holding the country's garbage.

Some facts:

• It receives 300-400 tons of trash each day
• Locals + 850,000 tourists (visited last year) each producing more than seven pounds of trash a day 
• Only a few of the islands have set up recycling programs 

Workers throwing garbage into the water 

So what effect does this garbage being dumped and burned have on the way of life of the people living on Male?

Concerns:

• Toxic products (mercury, lead, asbestos) leaking into the sea-damage to undersea environment 
• Pollution, long-term effects on health from the smog

According to the article, locals used to toss garbage into the sea. On every island the other visited in Maldives, there were heaps of trash lining the shorelines. This was especially noticeable after the tsunami of 2004 because the wages carried trash everywhere.

Final thoughts:

Everyone is guilty of throwing some trash away, it's hard for it to be completely unavoidable, but if the islands in the Maldives don't start reducing their consumption and disposal then all of the islands will eventually turn into trash islands. Apparently the Maldivian authorities say they proposed a law that would limit the types of garbage that are allowed to be burned to only materials, but will this actually happen? Is this even feasible? The damage already done cannot be reversed. How did they not think about this before? Another solution they thought of was to export the recyclable waste to China Malaysia and neighboring India but this also uses a lot of energy. At least it would reduce the amount of waste on the islands though.

"Soon the Maldives' two biggest exports will be fish...and garbage"

It is incredibly sad that places around the world act so carelessly and don't think about the future consequences. I hope they find a solution to this problem soon...before it's too late.

BBC video on the "Trash Island"

I'm glad that by filming the island that they are creating awareness, but there can definitely be more..especially since it has been in existence since 1992 and this is the first that I've heard of it.

For more information check out these sites:
http://www.takepart.com/article/2012/05/21/toxic-garbage-dumps-ruin-island-nations?cmpid=tp-ptnr-hufpo
http://wwwnews.live.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18073917