President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Sunday launched a campaign to minimize single-use plastic in the President’s Office in the capital Male.
During a ceremony on Sunday, the president initiated the use of multi-use glass water bottles, in place of single-use plastic bottles, by presenting glass bottles to all the employees of the President’s Office.
Speaking at the ceremony, president Solih expressed hopes that single-use plastic will be greatly minimized in all the ministries and government offices within the first 100 days of his government.
He noted that the initiative was an important step towards the protection and preservation of the country's fragile environment.
President Solih also pointed out that society has neglected the country's reefs and oceans over the past, and underscored that the most damaging of actions is polluting the oceans, through which a high number of plastic go into the sea.
He added that overtime, these plastic and toxic materials make their way into the food chain of the marine life, and later into our food chain.
Solih also highlighted that the use of single-use plastic such as plastic bags, PET plastic bottles, and plastic wrappers in the Maldives was at an alarmingly high rate, urging for a lifestyle change and to minimize waste and sustain resources.
