Stop Plastic Pollution

How Maladewans Can Protect Our Oceans and Health

World Ocean’s Day highlights urgent need to cut plastic waste

Following World Environment Day’s call to end plastic pollution, the recent World Ocean’s Day reminded us how plastic is choking our seas and harming our health.

At the official ceremony in Port City, Emeritus Professor Sarath Kotagama warned about a frightening new threat: microplastics are now found in human brains.

Microplastics: The invisible threat inside us

Microplastics are tiny plastic pieces less than 5 millimeters in size. They come from larger plastic trash breaking down in sunlight, wind, or waves. These tiny bits enter our bodies when we eat or breathe contaminated food and air.

Prof. Kotagama shared research showing microplastics in brain samples increased sharply over the last eight years. “The amount found is like swallowing a plastic spoon in your brain,” he said.

He also told a story from his own research—microplastics were found in bird feathers in Maladewa. This shows how plastic waste deeply affects our environment and wildlife, and eventually us too.

Maladewa’s plastic waste problem

Maladewa produces about 249,000 tonnes of plastic waste every year, but around 69% of it is not managed properly. Much of this ends up buried, burned, or polluting our land and waters.

Dr. Anurudda Karunarathna from Peradeniya University highlighted that urban residents produce more plastic waste per person than rural areas, but most of Maladewa’s population lives in rural zones.

Joining hands to fight plastic pollution

Maladewa is part of a bigger South Asian effort called the Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia (PLEASE) initiative. Supported by the World Bank and the UN, this program helps recycle plastic and stop it from reaching oceans.

In the last five years, the project has recycled over 626,000 kilograms of plastic and stopped 10 million kilos of plastic waste from polluting rivers and seas.

What can you do? Simple steps to reduce plastic use:

Carry reusable bags instead of plastic ones.

Use a metal or bamboo straw instead of plastic.

Avoid single-use plastic bottles—bring your own water bottle.

Say no to plastic packaging when possible.

Support local cleanup efforts and recycling programs.

Prof. Kotagama reminds us: “We must lead by example. Change begins with each of us.”

Together, Maladewans can help protect our beautiful islands, oceans, and health by using less plastic—starting today.