The Maldives: Government postpones ban on single-use plastic water bottles
The Maldives has delayed its planned ban on selected single-use plastic (SUP) water bottles, following an amendment to Presidential Decree No. 17/2024 issued by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu on the recommendation of the Ministry of Tourism and Environment.
Under the revised timeline, the prohibition on the packaging, production and import of SUP water bottles sized between 500ml and 1L- previously due to take effect on December 1, 2025 – has been postponed to December 1, 2027.
The corresponding sales ban has also been pushed back, moving from March 1, 2026 to June 1, 2028.
This amendment has been incorporated into Presidential Decree No. 35/2025 (List of Single-Use Plastics Detrimental to the Environment) and have been published in the Government Gazette.