The Kuwaiti Ministry of Communications announced that the use of specific single-use plastic items onboard Kuwaiti and foreign ships which will be prohibited; The ban concerns items that are prohibited with immediate effect and others to be banned after January 1, 2020.
Accordingly, the two categories are:
Items prohibited with immediate effect:
- cutlery, plates and cups
- bottles up to 10 liters for water and other drinks
- garbage and shopping bags
- dispensing containers for cleaning fluids that are less than 10 liters in volume
Items prohibited from 1 January 2020:
- bags, trays, containers, food packaging film;
- milk bottles, freezer bags, shampoo bottles, ice cream containers;
- bottles for water and other drinks, dispensing containers for cleaning fluids, biscuit trays;
- hot drink cups, insulated food packaging, protective packaging for fragile items; and
- microwave dishes, ice cream tubs, potato ship bags, bottle caps.
Therefore, the new rule prohibits any of the above items onboard Kuwaiti flagged ships.
Foreign flagged ships are only prohibited from using any such item while operating in Kuwaiti waters and must keep all their single-use plastic items locked in a store during their stay in Kuwaiti ports and during their passage through the territorial waters of Kuwait.
This move follows India’s decision on banning single-use plastic, in efforts on reducing plastic debris.
