Ministry of Environment has decided to provide reusable water bottles to all first graders in Maldives. The environment ministry stated the project is conducted in collaboration with Ministry of Education and UNICEF Maldives. The aim of the project is to reduce single-use plastic and work towards an end to plastic pollution, according to ministry.
Moreover, the environment ministry announced the bottles provided for students will be BPA free. BPA stands for Bisphenol-A, which is an estragon-imitating chemical used to produce reusable plastic products, such as baby bottles, toddler sippy cups and plastic used for storing leftover food. Furthermore, the ministry revealed plans to distribute glass bottles to schools to eliminate the use of plastics.
The government initiated a nationwide campaign to minimise single-use plastic including it in the 100-day pledge policy of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. As part of the campaign, the President's Office along with other government offices and companies have eliminated use of plastic in the institutions.