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Saturday 27 Apr 2024
LOCAL EDITION
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LOCAL EDITION
Customers carry goods brought from a shop in plastic bags. (Sun Photo/Mohamed Naail Hussain)
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, on Thursday, issued a decree announcing the revised list of Single-Use Plastics (SUPs) detrimental to the environment.
14 specific SUP items including plastic items and those manufactured with plastic were identified in the decree as harmful to the environment, and outlines the dates on which their import, manufacture, and sale will be prohibited.
The decree also modifies the date for the prohibition of import, production and sale of the 13th item on the 14-item list; plastic water bottles of 1 liter or less. With the update, plastic water bottles of 1 liter or less will be prohibited from import and manufacture in the Maldives starting August next year, while they will be banned from the market starting November next year.
Thursday’s decree repealed previous regulations defining environmentally harmful SUPs and governing their manufacture, import, and marketing in the Maldives.
The 14 specific SUP items listed on the decree and the dates the prohibition will come into effect are as follows;
Single-use plastic-based drinking straw
Date of prohibition of import: June 1, 2021
Date of prohibition of production: December 19, 2022
Date of prohibition of sales: December 19, 2022
Single-use plastic-based plates, cutleries and stirrers
Date of prohibition of import: June 1, 2021
Date of prohibition of production: December 19, 2022
Date of prohibition of sales: December 19, 2022
Styrofoam lunch box
Date of prohibition of import: December 31, 2021
Date of prohibition of production: December 19, 2022
Date of prohibition of sales: December 19, 2022
Plastic shopping bags below 30cm (To include oxo-degradable and synthetic polymer-based biodegradable bags)
Date of prohibition of import: June 1, 2021
Date of prohibition of production: December 19, 2022
Date of prohibition of sales: December 19, 2022
Plastic shopping bags below 50cm (To include oxo-degradable and synthetic polymer-based biodegradable bags)
Date of prohibition of import: January 1, 2024
Date of prohibition of production: January 1, 2024
Date of prohibition of sales: June 1, 2024
Sweet areca nuts in plastic wrapping
Date of prohibition of import: June 1, 2021
Date of prohibition of production: December 19, 2022
Date of prohibition of sales: December 19, 2022
Sweet areca nuts in plastic packaging other than plastic wrapping
Date of prohibition of import: January 1, 2024
Date of prohibition of production: January 1, 2024
Date of prohibition of sales: June 1, 2024
Single-use plastic drinking cups below 250ml
Date of prohibition of import: June 1, 2021
Date of prohibition of production: December 19, 2022
Date of prohibition of sales: December 19, 2022
Cotton buds with plastic stems
Date of prohibition of import: June 1, 2021
Date of prohibition of production: December 19, 2022
Date of prohibition of sales: December 19, 2022
Shampoo, soap, conditioner and lotion in plastic bottles that are 50ml and below
Date of prohibition of import: June 1, 2021
Date of prohibition of production: December 19, 2022
Date of prohibition of sales: December 19, 2022
Shampoo, soap, conditioner and lotion in plastic bottles that are from 50ml to 200ml
Date of prohibition of import: December 1, 2022
Date of prohibition of production: December 19, 2022
Date of prohibition of sales: March 1, 2023
Water packaged in plastic bottles below 500ml
Date of prohibition of import: June 1, 2021
Date of prohibition of production: December 19, 2022
Date of prohibition of sales: December 19, 2022
Water packaged in plastic bottles of 1 liter and below
Date of prohibition of import: August 1, 2024
Date of prohibition of production: August 1, 2024
Date of prohibition of sales: November 1, 2024
Beverages (carbonated and non-carbonated) packed in plastic bottles below 500ml apart from drinking water
Date of prohibition of import: June 1, 2021
Date of prohibition of production: December 19, 2022
Date of prohibition of sales: December 19, 2022
