Maldives Customs Service has revealed the amount of plastic bags imported to the Maldives has been halved this year compared to last year, following the ban on Single-Use Plastics (SUPs) which was enforced in the Maldives this year.
As per the statistics of Customs, a total of 29,926,401 plastic bags were imported to the Maldives during the first six months of the year, which amounts to a value of USD467,000. This is less than half of the 60,231,590 plastic bags imported to the Maldives during the first six months of 2021, which had amounted to a value of USD1 million.
Under a presidential decree issued by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on December 29, 2021, 13 types of single-use plastics are set to be banned from import to the Maldives across different phases this year. The first phase of the ban, which includes eight different types of SUPs, was implemented in June.
Items banned since June include plastic bags below 30cm x 30cm, plastic straws used in drinks, as well as plastic cutlery, stirrers, plates and cups below 250ml. In addition, production and sale of imported beverages in plastic packages that are below 500ml, supari in plastic packaging, plastic stemmed cotton buds and Styrofoam lunch boxes as well as shampoo and soap in plastic bottles below 50ml have also been banned.
The phase-out plan is a national initiative to phase-out the production, import and sales of particular SUPs in the Maldives and promote the use of sustainable alternatives, in order to safeguard public health, and the vulnerable marine environment of the country. Furthermore, the goal is to reduce single-use plastic usage and move customers away from single-use plastic while promoting sustainable alternatives through targeted awareness and educational initiatives.
The government is committed to phasing out single-use plastics in the Maldives by 2023, as per the Parliament Resolution of 2019 and the declaration made by President Solih at the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2019.