Ukulhas bans single-use plastic bottles

Government offices, private businesses and clubs and NGOs operating at A. A. Ukulhas have signed a declaration to ban single-use plastic bottles on the island.

President of Ukulhas Council, Shaukath Ibrahim says the island signed the declaration in support of the national cleanup campaign, ‘Saafu Raajje, Aharenge Ves Zinmaa’ launched by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih this Saturday morning.

Ukulhas Council has presented water filtering systems and glass water bottles to the parties which pledged to ban single-use plastic.

Many guesthouses operating at Ukulhas have now switched from single-use plastic bottles.

“A few guesthouses are still using plastic bottles. But the council is talking to these guesthouses and that single-use plastic bottles are banned from these places by the end of the month,” said Shaukath.

Ukulhas also launched a campaign to ban use of plastic bags in 2016.

Shaukath said the campaign wasn’t 100 percent successful as several shops continue to use plastic bags. But that the council was still hopeful the island will be free of plastic bags and plastic bottles by end of 2018.

“Our target is to achieve the goal to ban use of plastic bottles and ban use of plastic bags by the end of the year.”

Shaukath says Ukulhas wants to make history by becoming the first Maldivian island to ban all forms of single-use plastics.