Malé, Maldives – The environment Ministry declared that after 1 June 2021, the import of 9 types of plastic will be restricted in Maldives.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had announced during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, of a comprehensive phase-out of single-use plastic items in the Maldives by 2023. The government also made new laws under the “Jazeera” living of the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) to decrease the use of single-use plastics.
The 9 types of plastic import which is to be cancelled on June:
- Plastic straws
- Single use plastic plates, cups, spoons, knives, forks
- Styrofoam boxes used to pack food
- Plastic bags used in shopping which are smaller than 30 centimeter in length
- “Supari” (arecanut products) imported in plastic packets
- Plastics cups and mugs which have smaller capacity than 250 millilitre
- Cotton buds with plastic sticks
- Shampoo and shower gel bottles below 50 millilitre
- PET bottles under 500 millilitres, containing drinks such as water and soft drinks
Ministry added that on 1 December 2022, further 2 types of plastic import will be cancelled. These are plastic bags which are thinner than 50 micron and shampoo bottles under 200 millilitres.
Due to the cancellation of these imports, the waste in Maldives will be reduced, along with a huge reduction to the environmental damages caused by single use plastics.
