The Maldives are the favorite tourist destination for those who want to spend time immersed in a natural paradise of crystalline waters and very thin white sand.
However, with great beauty comes great responsibility. In fact, the great tourist influx out of the 26 atolls it not only represents the country's main source of income, but is also the major source of waste. In fact, every tourist who passes through the islands leaves behind a large amount of garbage and plastic waste in particular. It is calculated, in fact, that each visitor produces on average just under 3 kg of waste every day. A huge amount, especially when released in a fragile ecosystem like this one. It is no coincidence that an ad hoc artificial island was created to collect them all, Thilafushi, a sort of landfill in the middle of the ocean.
For this reason, as early as November 2020, the President of the Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih approved a proposal of the Minister of the Environment for definitively eliminate the import of single-use plastics by the year 2023. A plan of respect and environmental protection which is naturally divided into a few steps.
At the end of 2020, the President announced the list of disposable items that would be banned starting from June 2021 such as: straws, plates, cutlery, glasses, bottles, cotton buds, plastic bags smaller than 30 × 30, lunch boxes, bottles for shampoo and other cleansing products under 50ml, disposable packs for snacks.
Starting from 1 December 2022, then, we will continue with plastic shampoo and soap bottles of varying sizes between 50 and 200 ml and with plastic bags of less than 30 × 30cm and 50 microns thick. Finally, starting from 1 December 2023, imported disposable plastic bottles, under one liter and made of PET, will disappear from the islands.