Minister: Real setback was banning plastic straws without providing alternative solutions

Environment Minister Ali Shareef defended the government’s recent decision to lift the ban on plastic drinking straws on Thursday, declaring that the real setback in the Maldives’ fight against single-use plastics was when the former administration of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) imposed its ban without providing alternative solutions.

The Maldives had banned the import of plastic drinking straws in 2021, and extended the ban to include the production and sale of the product in 2022.

But last week, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu issued a decree, postponing the ban on import of single-use plastic drinking straws to June 1, 2031, and the production and sale of the product to December 19, 2031.

At a press briefing on Thursday morning, Ali Shareef slammed former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration for banning plastic straws without providing alternative solutions.

He said he does not believe the ban provided an effective solution to plastic pollution in the Maldives.

“My argument is that the real step backwards in this was to impose a blanket ban without providing alternative solutions. Isn’t that step backwards? They should have provided alternative solutions in this, right?” said Ali Shareef, speaking from the President’s Office.

Ali Shareef also spoke about the difference in quality of paper straws at cafes and restaurants.

“We don’t even have a mechanism to check the quality of the paper straws imported into the country,” he said.

Ali Shareef said that studies have also found paper straws contain certain chemicals that can pose a risk to health.

“Therefore, we decided to open this [lift the ban] for the time being, provide alternative solutions and take time to see if we can import better quality straws,” he said.

The decision to lift the ban on plastic straws has been slammed by the main opposition MDP, which said that the decision reverses an important environmental measure after years of implementation and adaptation by the public and businesses.

The party said that it was evident that the prevalence of plastic waste on beaches and in public spaces across the Maldives had significantly declined following the implementation of the policy.

“Reversing the policy after such progress has been achieved undermines regulatory certainty and weakens confidence in the government’s environmental commitments,” said the MDP.