An amendment to the Waste Management Act has been submitted to the People's Majlis to exempt wholesale packs containing more than 50 plastic bags from the current MVR 2 plastic bag fee.

On behalf of the government, PNC MP for the Ungoofaaru constituency, Ibrahim Shifaz, introduced the bill during today's parliamentary sitting.

Under Article 32 of the existing Waste Management Act, businesses are mandated to charge a fee of MVR 2 from customers at the point of sale for every individual plastic bag provided. The law currently outlines specific exemptions from this fee, which include plastic bags supplied by duty-free shops, bags used for unpackaged fresh fish, and bin liners specifically sold or distributed for waste disposal by waste management authorities. The newly proposed amendment seeks to add wholesale packs containing more than 50 plastic bags to this exemption list.

According to the bill, its broader objectives are to explicitly ban the importation of waste into the Maldives, review existing legal frameworks to ensure sustainable waste management, and resolve operational challenges faced in implementing the current law.

Additionally, the bill includes provisions to mandate the formulation of waste management policies for economic and industrial zones, requiring all waste management activities to align with the national master plan as well as city-level waste management plans.

It also aims to establish standards for designing waste management systems, managing waste centers, and regulating the equipment utilized in waste disposal. Notably, the bill strictly criminalizes the importation of any type of waste into the Maldives.