LocationsPek Chuan Gan, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in the Maldives, writes for World Environment Day 2025.
Cleaning Up Paradise: Phasing out Plastic in the Maldives
June 5, 2025
Paradise or Plastic Pit?
Like many who first arrive, the Maldives took my breath away. I landed to sunlit waters and palm-lined shores, some fringed with overwater villas floating on endless blue.
Nearly two years in, I now see what most visitors miss. Beyond the postcard-perfect views, deeper into these turquoise waters and forested islands, paradise is littered with plastic bottles, fishing nets, and packaging waste, and near the capital looms Thilafushi—Maldives’ infamous “Trash Island.”
A man-made dump built on coral, Thilafushi is where decades of waste—wrappers, appliances, cruise ship leftovers—are dumped and left to rot. It’s a toxic reminder that even the most pristine places bear the cost of our consumption.
Waste is the hidden underbelly of a postcard-perfect nation.
Despite its image, the Maldives is drowning in plastic. The country generates 43,134 tonnes of plastic waste every year[1] - that's roughly the weight of 215 blue whales. It’s a floating mountain of waste, rivaling the ocean’s largest creatures in scale, but with none of their grace or ecological value.
[1] Plastic Pollution Policy Country Profile: Maldives | UNEP Law and Environment Assistance Platform
Across the Maldives’ 1,200 islands, many still lack formal waste systems. Plastics often burn in the open air or end up in the sea. On smaller islands, it’s not uncommon for food waste and plastics to be thrown directly into the ocean. When landfills—often a short walk from the beach—overflow, trash is burned when the wind blows away from the resorts. The toxic smoke? Out of sight, out of mind.
The result: the Maldives now ranks among countries with the highest concentrations of microplastics in the world[2]. They’re in the sand, in the fish, and in us. For a nation on the frontlines of climate vulnerability, plastic pollution has become a silent emergency.
How did this paradise become engulfed in plastic? The answer perhaps lies in the potent mix of mass tourism, overconsumption, and global inequality. And the consequences run far deeper than dirty beaches—they threaten the ecosystems that sustain life here, and beyond.
[2] Maldives records highest level of micro plastic pollution on the planet
The Developmental Dimensions of Plastic Pollution
Plastic pollution isn’t just about dirty shorelines. It’s a full-blown development crisis. Its impacts span ecosystems, public health, economic security, and justice—undermining progress across nearly every Sustainable Development Goal.
Hidden Health Risks
We might be eating plastic—literally. Studies suggest the average person could be ingesting a credit card’s worth of microplastics every week. These plastics contain over 3,000 harmful chemicals[3], many of which are linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and developmental disorders. Microplastics have even been found in human placentas.
The 2018 global health cost of plastic exposure? An estimated $250 billion[4]. And that’s likely conservative.
[3] Why UNDP is tackling the developmental dimensions of plastic pollution | United Nations Development Programme
[4] Chemicals Used in Plastic Materials: An Estimate of the Attributable Disease Burden and Costs in the United States | Journal of the Endocrine Society | Oxford Academic
Ocean Ecosystems in Peril
The Maldives’ coral reefs are among the world’s richest, supporting 1,100 fish species, and 187 types of coral[5]. These ecosystems aren’t just beautiful—they are economically vital. Marine ecosystems globally are valued at $49.7 trillion per year[6], supplying food, climate regulation, and livelihoods.
Yet plastic is killing them.
Filter feeders like whale sharks and manta rays—the Maldives' iconic gentle giants—suffer most from microplastics, which get ingested along with their food source. Coral reefs are smothered. Mangroves and sea grasses, natural coastal defenses, are clogged with debris. It's estimated ocean plastic pollution costs $0.5–2.5 trillion annually in lost marine benefits[7].
[5] https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile?country=mv
[6] Changes in the global value of ecosystem services - ScienceDirect
[7] Global ecological, social and economic impacts of marine plastic - PubMed
Fueling the Climate Crisis
Plastic is a fossil fuel in disguise—99% of it comes from oil and gas[8]. If current trends continue, plastic production alone could consume 19% of the global carbon budget by 2040[9].
Even worse, plastics reduce soil health, hamper food production, and clog urban drainage systems. In a low-lying country like the Maldives, every coral smothered and mangrove lost pushes the climate threat one step closer.
[8] Why UNDP is tackling the developmental dimensions of plastic pollution | United Nations Development Programme
[9] Why UNDP is tackling the developmental dimensions of plastic pollution | United Nations Development Programme
"Plastic is a fossil fuel in disguise—99% of it comes from oil and gas."
Tourism and Injustice
Tourism—30% of Maldives’ GDP[10]—is under threat. Beaches and pretty dive sites that are littered with plastic don’t attract visitors. Worse, the burden of this pollution falls unfairly on the poor. Those who contributed the least suffer the most—with the fewest resources to respond.
Plastic Solutions from the Frontlines
Tackling plastic pollution requires bold, systemic solutions—and fast. There’s no silver bullet. But the Maldives is not standing still.
Policy Action
In March 2024, the Maldives rolled out a nationwide ban on single-use plastics, building on earlier import taxes for plastic bags. New regulations now mandate hotels and resorts to segregate waste. Meanwhile, multilateral efforts are supporting the development of waste-to-energy plants, plastic bag bans on pilot islands, and better waste segregation infrastructure. [11]
"The burden of plastic pollution falls unfairly on the poor."
UNDP on the Ground
In Fuvahmulah, with support from UNDP and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme, local communities are leading change:
- Zero Waste Maldives is conducting waste audits, training locals in waste-to-wealth models.
- Women in Fuvahmulah are transforming organic waste into compost, reducing methane emissions and protecting reefs.
- Maldives Authentic Crafts Cooperative Society (MACCS) is promoting circular economy models, upcycled tote bags, and alternatives to plastic.
- No Plastic Maldives is building data-driven systems to guide smarter policy.
Regionally, UNDP and The Coca-Cola Foundation are scaling innovative solutions across 9 Asian countries, including the Maldives—from deploying electric vehicles for plastic collection, to setting up solar-powered waste management infrastructure. The goal: cut plastic leakage, protect livelihoods, and redesign systems for a cleaner future.
What Will We Leave Behind?
This World Environment Day, the question isn’t just what’s washing up on our shores? It’s what are we leaving behind?
Plastic pollution is more than an environmental issue. It’s a moral one.
Will we leave behind oceans choked with waste, or a model for circular and just economy? Will we pass on beaches buried in plastic—or a legacy of action, courage, and accountability?
The Maldives is fighting to clean up paradise. The rest of the world must do the same.
Because this isn’t just about protecting a postcard. It’s about protecting a valuable resource for the entire planet.
