Maldives postpones plastic straw import ban until 2031

President Mohamed Muizzu has postponed the ban on the import, production and sale of single-use plastic drinking straws in the Maldives until 2031.

The changes were made on Saturday as part of amendments to the list of single-use plastics considered detrimental to the environment, following recommendations from the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy.

Under the amendment, the ban on importing single-use plastic drinking straws has been deferred from 1 June 2021 to 1 June 2031.

The ban on producing and selling single-use plastic drinking straws in the Maldives, previously dated 19 December 2022, has also been postponed until 19 December 2031.

The President has the authority to determine the types of single-use plastics prohibited from import and to introduce restrictions in phases.

The amendment also changes the timetable for restrictions on water packaged in plastic bottles of between 500 millilitres and one litre.

The ban on the import and production of water in plastic bottles of one litre or less, down to 500ml, has been postponed until 1 December 2029. The ban on selling water in bottles within this size range has been deferred until 1 June 2030.

A further amendment changes the bottle size threshold for pre-packaged beverages other than water from 500ml to 250ml.

As a result, the import, production and sale of pre-packaged beverages, excluding water, in plastic bottles smaller than 250ml are prohibited with immediate effect.

The changes revise the government’s timetable for restrictions on several categories of single-use plastic products in the Maldives.