Clean Blue Maldives is supporting three islands in Baa Atoll (Maalhos, Dharavandhoo and Kihaadhoo) to end open burning of waste by the end of 2019. Our vision is to support the Maldives to develop a 2020-2030 plastic pollution mitigation strategy that catalyses a radical shift towards effective waste management.
Of the 1,192 islands in the Maldives, just 183 are inhabited or visited. The country’s tourism industry generates a significant share of the country’s GDP (69%, World Bank 2020). However, this comes at a high price, generating a huge amount of plastic waste.
Most islands lack the infrastructure to deal with this and waste is often burned openly - creating highly toxic emissions that harm people’s health and are absorbed by the local environment. Waste not burnt, or managed locally, is sent by boat to the island of Thilafushi, which sees around 330 tonnes arrive every day, much of which eventually washes into the sea.
But there is hope. Led by the President’s Office, government ministries and state-owned enterprises are taking positive steps to protect this tropical paradise. Common Seas was invited by the Maldivian Government to deliver technical support through Plastic Drawdown, providing the evidence (and therefore the consensus and confidence) for the President to publicly commit to phase-out single-use plastics by 2023.
Clean Blue Alliance provides on-the-ground demonstrations of systemic solutions to plastic pollution to inform and inspire change at a global level. Jo Royle
Commons Seas
We launched Clean Blue Maldives in 2019. The launch came after a three-day workshop, which brought together island councils, government representatives, the World Bank, waste engineers, businesses, local groups, and Soneva – a luxury eco-resort. The output of the working meeting was the Clean Blue Maldives Charter – signed by all in attendance.
The Charter commits us to work together to eliminate problematic plastics and end open burning. Namoona Baa initiative was launched by the signatories of the Charter, as a pilot project to demonstrate what sustainable waste management can look like on small islands. Namoona means ‘exemplary’ in the Dhivehi language.
Identify waste streams and leakage.
Year one:
Our solutions remove problem plastics from the economy and prevent plastic from becoming waste.
Year one:
Our solutions remove problem plastics from the economy and prevent plastic from becoming waste.
Year one:
Soneva recycles or reuses 90% of its waste and has a zero-waste target. The company operates two resorts in the Maldives and has well-established plastic reduction and waste management initiatives. These provide a strong launchpad for the islands to begin their own journeys. Soneva has pledged funds from their Save our Seas programme to support the Namoona Baa Initiative.
“I had a great time at the workshop, and it was a very valuable learning experience for me, especially given my specific mandate to communicate key initiatives of the government.”
Ibrahim Hood,
Chief Communications Strategist, President’s Office
Soneva recycles or reuses 90% of its waste and has a zero-waste target. The company operates two resorts in the Maldives and has well-established plastic reduction and waste management initiatives. These provide a strong launchpad for the islands to begin their own journeys. Soneva has pledged funds from their Save our Seas programme to support Clean Blue Maldives.