State Trading Organisation (STO) has announced the decision to charge for plastic bags in a bid to reduce single-use plastic bags.
STO said customers will be charged MVR 2.5 per plastic bag and MVR 2 per paper bag starting 17 July. STO urged customers to carry their own environment-friendly tote bags while shopping.
The government intends to phase out single-use plastic by 2023. As such, the waste management bill has been submitted to the parliament to include a mandatory MVR 2 charge on plastic bags.
