Maldives again delays 1 litre plastic water bottle ban to 2026
Plastic water bottles of 1 litre or less will be prohibited from import and manufacture in the Maldives starting from 1 December 2025 instead of Thursday.
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President Mohamed Muizzu on Wednesday issued a decree announcing a second revision to delay the sale of 1 litre or below plastic bottles to 2026.
The decree identifies 14 specific SUP items— which include plastic items and those manufactured with plastic— as harmful to the environment, and outlines the dates on which their import, manufacture, and sale will be prohibited.
Upon issuance of the decree, the date for the prohibition of import, production and sale of the 13th item on the 14-item list has been modified. With this update, plastic water bottles of 1 litre or less will be prohibited from import and manufacture in the Maldives starting from 1 December 2025 instead of the earlier date of Thursday. Subsequently, these items will be banned from the market starting 1 March 2026.
Earlier the ban on import and production of water packed in 1 litre or below plastic bottles was set to come into effect from August 2023, with the ban on sale of such items set for March 2024.
A previous presidential decree delayed the dates to August 2024.
