Reducing plastic pollution in Maldives
The Maldives is uniquely vulnerable to plastic pollution. A quarter of its GDP (24.5%) comes from tourism, and a further fifth (18%) from fisheries, both affected by plastic pollution.
With a population of 450,000 people spread over 347 inhabited islands, it also has a huge plastic waste problem. Open burning is common, and around 330 tonnes of waste are sent to the island of Thilafushi every day – much of which flows into the ocean.
Common Seas was invited by the office of the President of Maldives to evaluate the country’s plastic footprint and provide evidence for a portfolio of policies to phase out plastic waste. Together, we idenitified policies to reduce plastic pollution by 85% over 10 years.
The plastic challenge in Maldives
22,100 tonnes
of plastic waste was generated in 2020, around 49kg per person
1,600 tonnes
of plastic pollution entered the sea in 2020
22,000 tonnes
of plastic pollution is projected to enter the sea by 2030 if no action is taken
Five policies to reduce plastic pollution by 85%
1. Reduction of Single Use Plastic (SUP) water bottles
2. Reduction of SUP beverage bottles
3. Reduction of all SUP bottles
4. Taxes of bans on SUP items for which there are alternatives
5. Improvements to waste collection transport and storage
“Plastic Drawdown was critical in building the case for phasing out single-use plastics across the Maldives” … “Common Seas delivered not only solid evidence for what we could achieve, but also practical advice on how to achieve it”
Spokesperson for the President of Maldives
