Changes to deadline for import ban on PET bottle, Styrofoam box

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has revised his decree for ban on import of single-use plastics, changing the deadline for ban on import of Styrofoam boxes used to pack food, and all beverages packed in PET bottles below 500ml.

Ban on import of 12 single-use plastic products was originally scheduled to take effect this June. However, the deadline on some of the products have been postponed, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small and medium enterprises.

President’s Office announced on Tuesday that the changes include changing the deadline for ban on import of Styrofoam boxes used to pack food to December 31, 2021, and changing the deadline for ban on import of beverages in PET bottles below 500ml, with the exception of water, to June 1, 2022.

Meanwhile, additional products have been added to the import ban list – conditioner and lotion bottles of or below 50ml.

Additionally, import of conditioner and lotion bottles below 200ml will be banned starting 2022.

Products banned starting this Tuesday:

• Plastic drinking straws
• Plastic plates, cutleries and stirrers
• Plastic shopping bags below 30x30cm
• Sweet areca nuts (supari) wrapped in plastic
• Plastic cups below 250ml
• Cotton buds with plastic stems
• Shampoo, soap, conditioner and lotion bottles in plastic packaging 50ml and below
• Water in PET bottles below 500ml

Economic Ministry has announced Customs will permit the import of the products even if the shipment arrives after this Tuesday, as long as the bill of lading or airway bill for the shipment is posted before this Tuesday.

Meanwhile, import of plastic shopping bags below 50-micron thickness and shampoo and soap bottles in plastic packaging between 50ml to 200ml will be banned starting December 1, 2022. And the import of drinking water in PET bottles one liter and below with be banned starting December 1, 2023.