The Maldives has changed the timetable for several single-use plastic restrictions. A presidential amendment published on 19 September 2026 immediately bans one narrow category of very small plastic beverage bottles, while pushing planned restrictions on plastic drinking straws and some small water bottles years into the future.
The changes were made through Presidential Decree No. 15/2026, following recommendations from the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy. The practical detail matters because the dates are different for importing, producing and selling different products.
What changed on 19 September
- Single-use plastic drinking straws: the import prohibition is deferred to 1 June 2031. The production and sale prohibition is deferred to 19 December 2031.
- Water in plastic bottles from 500 ml up to 1 litre: the import and production prohibition is deferred to 1 December 2029, and the sale prohibition to 1 June 2030.
- Pre-packaged beverages other than water in very small plastic bottles: the threshold under Item 14 changes from 500 ml to 250 ml. Import, production and sale of bottles measuring less than 250 ml are prohibited immediately.
What is banned immediately
The immediate rule is the easiest part to misread. It applies to pre-packaged beverages excluding water in plastic bottles measuring less than 250 ml. The President's Office says their import, production and sale are prohibited with immediate effect.
That wording does not mean every plastic drink bottle below 500 ml is newly prohibited, and it does not make water part of this immediate Item 14 ban. The decree specifically changes the threshold from 500 ml to 250 ml and excludes water from this category.
What moves to 2029–31
The same amendment also delays restrictions that had been scheduled much earlier. For single-use plastic drinking straws, the import date moves from 1 June 2021 to 1 June 2031, while the production and sale date moves from 19 December 2022 to 19 December 2031.
For water packaged in plastic bottles sized from 500 ml up to 1 litre, the import and production prohibition is now due on 1 December 2029. The sale prohibition is due on 1 June 2030.
These are dates stated in the 19 September amendment. They should not be read as a blanket removal of every other Maldivian rule affecting single-use plastics.
What this means for travellers
For visitors, the immediate change is most likely to be visible in the smallest pre-packaged non-water drinks. Bottles under 250 ml in that category should no longer be imported, produced or sold under the amended list.
The longer timetable for straws and certain water bottles means those products are not subject to the previously scheduled national bans on the earlier dates cited in the amendment. Individual resorts, guesthouses, airlines and other operators can still use stricter procurement or sustainability policies of their own, so what you are handed at a particular property may differ from the national minimum.
If you are packing reusable bottles, cups or straws already, there is no practical reason to change that habit because of the decree. It simply changes the legal timetable for specified products.
What residents and businesses need to know
The amendment separates import, production and sale dates, so businesses should not treat one date as applying automatically to every commercial activity. The immediate sub-250 ml non-water beverage rule applies across all three activities; the straw and water-bottle provisions have later, separate dates.
Businesses making purchasing, import or compliance decisions should check the published decree and current Government Gazette wording rather than relying only on summaries, particularly if a product sits close to a size threshold.
A timetable change, not a full reset
The official announcement describes an amendment to the existing list of environmentally detrimental single-use plastics, not the repeal of the whole framework. In December 2025, the President's Office had already announced a separate postponement affecting water bottles between 500 ml and 1 litre. The 19 September 2026 decree revises that timetable again and also changes the treatment of straws and sub-250 ml non-water beverage bottles.
For a broader background guide to the country's phased plastics rules, see our single-use plastics explainer. This page covers the new September 2026 change itself.
Sources and verification
- President's Office — “President amends list of single-use plastics detrimental to the environment”, 19 September 2026
- SunOnline International — report on the amended plastic-straw and bottle timetable, 19 September 2026
Last verified: 20 September 2026. This article reports the dates and product categories announced by the President's Office; later Gazette amendments can change the timetable again.