The government has published a list of 12 types of single-use plastic products that will be banned from import next year.

The recent amendment to the Export-Import Act states that the import of any goods declared as single-use plastic by the President will be prohibited under section 7 of the Act. It vests the President with the authority to compile and publicise a list of goods to be classified as such, and to add or remove items from that list. This will enable the Maldives to steadily phase out single-use plastic.

The amendment mandates the Government to compile and publicise the temporary list of banned single-use plastics, including the date from which the changes will come into effect, before 1st January 2021, on the Government Gazette.

The President has since compiled a list of 12 types of single-use products that will be banned from import next year, with nine of those being banned from June 1st onwards.

Products to be banned starting June 2021:

- Plastic drinking straw

- Single-use plastic-based plates, cutleries and stirrers

- Styrofoam lunch box

- Plastic shopping bags below 30x30 cm (including oxo-degradable and synthetic polymer based biodegradable plastics)

- Imported sweet areca nuts in plastic wrapping

- Single-use plastic drinking cups below 250ml

- Cotton buds with plastic stems

- Shampoo and soap bottles in plastic packaging that are below 50ml

- All imported beverages in PET bottles below 500ml (water, carbonated and non-carbonated drinks)

In addition to these, starting December 2021 the import of Plastic shopping bags below 50-micron thickness (including oxo-degradable and synthetic polymer based biodegradable plastics), shampoo and soap bottles in plastic packaging between 50ml and 200ml along with all imported water in PET packaging below 1 liter will also be banned.