President Muizzu Amends Decree, Delays Ban On Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles
The ban on 500ml–1L plastic water bottles is delayed
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has amended the presidential decree governing single-use plastics considered harmful to the environment, delaying the planned ban on plastic water bottles sized between 500 millilitres and one litre.
The changes postpone the prohibition on packaging, producing, and importing single-use plastic bottles in this category from 1 December 2025 to 1 December 2027. The ban on selling bottles of the same size has also been deferred, moving from the original date of 1 March 2026 to 1 June 2028.
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The updated decree stems from the list of Single-Use Plastics identified as environmentally detrimental, first announced on 1 December 2023. The list specifies 14 items made of or containing plastic, detailing the dates on which their import, manufacture, and sale will be prohibited.
The 14 items include single-use plastic straws, plates, cutlery, stirrers, Styrofoam lunch boxes, two categories of plastic shopping bags, sweet areca nuts in both plastic wrapping and plastic packaging, plastic drinking cups below 250 millilitres, cotton buds with plastic stems, and various cosmetic products in plastic bottles of up to 200 millilitres.
The list also includes water packaged in plastic bottles below 500 millilitres, water packaged in bottles of up to one litre, and carbonated or non-carbonated beverages in plastic bottles below 500 millilitres.
