Amendments to the Waste Management Act have been submitted to the Parliament, seeking to ban the import of waste.
On December 18, 2022, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih ratified the Waste Management Bill, which allows the import of waste into the country with the permission of the Environment Ministry. Environmental groups have expressed concern over the matter.
Komandoo MP Mohamed Rashid moved on behalf of the government to amend the Waste Management Act, which allows the import of waste into the Maldives with permission from the Environment Ministry. The bill was introduced in Parliament today. The proposed amendment prohibits any person from importing any kind of waste into the Maldives.
The law refers to “plastic bags” as bags made of plastic oxo-degradable and synthetic polymers, including self-degradable plastics, that are used for carrying goods. The amendment also proposes to exclude plastic bags used to pack goods from the definition of plastic bags.
