Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has stated the generation of waste has increased during the month of Ramadan.
In a tweet, EPA stated an increase has been recorded in waste generation during Ramadan, especially of single use items and food waste. EPA urged the public to be mindful of the waste produced every day and put more effort to reduce waste and avoid single-use items.
As per a presidential decree issued last year, production and sale of 13 types of single-use plastics have been banned in the Maldives, effective from different dates this year. As such, plastic bags below 30cm x 30cm and plastic straws, cutlery, stirrers, plates and cups below 250ml are banned effective from June 2022. 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 have also been banned effective from June 2022.
Other banned items include plastic bags which are less than 50 microns thick, plastics made from oxo-degradable synthetic polymers and shampoo, soap, conditioner and lotion packaged in 50-200ml plastic bottles. These items cannot be produced and sold after December 2022.