the Maldives
International help is urgently needed to tackle plastic pollution at 'Ground Zero'in The Maldives, where the highest level of microplastic concentration in the world has been found.
News Flash:
The Maldivian Government has now banned the import of single-use plastics - taking effect from March 2024 for plastic bottles one litre and smaller and includes plastic carrier bags, single-use cutlery and other items of concern…helping turn off the tap.
The underbelly of ‘Paradise’ - no landfill on an island nation...just a mountain of openly burning waste.
'trash island' - Thilafushi, Maldives
The Maldives is an island nation located in the Indian Ocean, comprised of 98% water, blessed with beautiful beaches, sunshine and just under 2 million tourists per year. Yet, their leading industry has also created a huge problem that has been mismanaged for decades. The shocking image of Thilafushi (above & right) is not a one-off burning pile of plastic. Thilafushi is an actual island of 124 acres near the capital of Male, of which 24 acres are a piled mountain of waste accumulated over 30 years that has been burning for decades.
It started as a tiny lagoon of coral that expanded over time when plastic, plus construction and organic waste was dumped there from the early 1990s. The Maldivian government wasn’t prepared for the rapid growth of the tourism industry when the Male airport was expanded, to enable international flights. With this explosive influx of tourists came imports of what tourists wanted to consume while on holiday - most of which came in single-use, plastic packaging.
The ‘island’ that tourism built with it's rubbish...
Further information can be found at:
'Maldives records highest level of micro plastic pollution on the planet’ by Flinders University
OR
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According to a UN Environment Program report in 2021 entitled ‘Plastic Pollution in the Maldives’, plastic waste makes up 12% of total waste in the Maldives (they claim 43,134 tonnes plastic/yr). An incredible 66% of this plastic is mismanaged by being burned or escaping into the ocean.
That’s a 28,468 tonnes/yr problem!
“The conservative estimate shows that we produce at least 20,000 tonnes of plastic annually in the Maldives. And just about 5 per cent of that is recycled. The rest either ends up in landfills or it's burnt or it’s in the ocean,”
- quote from ‘Transforming ‘Trash Island’ video short by Channel News Asia
'Droplets' plan to eliminate plastic water bottles from the Maldives:
"Droplets: Artisanal Water Fountains throughout the Maldives"
(download .pdf)
the solutions
The opportunity to make a lasting difference...
with sustainable, circular solutions supporting the local communities within the Maldives -
aka 'Ground Zero'.
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Create culture of refilling
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Tourists take new habit home
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Provide premium drinking water
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Touchless refill creates a fun experience
'Life Can' water bottles to every tourist
the team
'Microplastic Filter Feeders' animation by Ashton
Below is a list of complete strategies to eliminate and cleanup legacy plastic pollution in the Maldives - presented to PepsiCo in 2024.
solutions provider details description breakdown cost
solutions provider details description breakdown cost
total costs: US$15m over a three year period
$15m is equal to
1/6TH OF 1%
OF PEPSICO'S PROFIT IN 2022
X 20 (nearly)
OR
THREE YEARS OF GRASSROOTS CLEANUP & lasting solutions for the plastic problem in The Maldives
'ground zero'
Filter feeders like whale sharks (above) and manta rays suffer most from microplastics, which get ingested along with their food source.