Maldives Ocean Plastics Alliance (MOPA) has launched its flagship project, Island PET Collection in Himmafushi, Kaafu Atoll in collaboration with the island council and International Beverages Company Limited (IBC).
The agreement was signed between the three parties to work together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The agreement of the venture was signed by President of Himmafushi Council Hassan Faiz, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IBC Ali Hussain and Founder and President of MOPA Thoriq Ibrahim.
Under the agreement, three parties will work together to expand MOPA’s work and will work to eliminate PET plastic and other waste products. In addition, a project named Himmafushi Island Pet Collection was also launched. Efforts will be launched to collect PET plastic generated from cafés, restaurants, guesthouses and other outlets in Himmafushi as part of the project.
MOPA will provide a replaceable collection bag to be used to safely recycle the PET plastic. Himmafushi Council and IBC will work with MOPA to provide material and human resources as well as expertise for the successful implementation of the project and to transport collected plastic waste to Male' via sea.
The project is an extension of the Plastics Rivers Logistics Project launched by MOPA in 2021. The programme began with 120 retail outlets including hotels, cafes and restaurants in the Greater Male' Area. The programme has been expanded in the past year and is currently being conducted in the Greater Male' Region, Thulusdhoo, Kaafu Atoll and Kudahuvadhoo, Dhaalu Atoll. Since the programme began, MOPA has sent 40 tonnes of plastic bottles and waste to recycling.
MOPA was registered in the Maldives in early 2020 as a non-governmental, not-for-profit networking organisation, focused on the growing domestic concern over plastic pollution. The core objectives of the alliance include reducing, reusing and recycling plastics, raising awareness on their dangers to the country’s fragile ecosystems including the vast and abundant oceans, and advocating for greater repurposing of single-use plastics in communities.