The government has decided to ban supari packaged in plastic bottles from January 1, 2024. The policy in place regarding the presidential decree on the ban on single-use plastics has been amended accordingly.
Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology stated that amendments were made to two of the 13 types of single-use plastics defined by the presidential decree. One of the items banned from import and sale in the Maldives is supari in plastic packages. The ministry noted that despite the ban, supari packed in plastic bottles are being imported and sold. Therefore, supari sold in disposable items or plastic bottles has been included in the list of plastic items prohibited from import and sale in the Maldives and will be banned from January 1, 2024.
The next amendment to the list is for plastic bags thinner than 50 microns. The ministry stated that during the period when the import permit was issued, it was recorded that all the bags imported from the samples were thinner than 50 microns. Therefore, the ban on its import and production has been postponed to January 1, 2024 to allow more time to increase awareness among businesses and the public while the ban on its use will be effective from June 1, 2024.
In December 2021, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih issued a decree banning the production and sale of 13 types of single-use plastic in the Maldives. The plan to phase out the use of single-use plastic is a national initiative to phase out the production, importation and consumption of certain single-use plastics into the Maldives, in the effort to protect human health and the vulnerable marine environment of the country.