USAID’s Work on Ocean Plastics in Maldives

The Maldives, an archipelago of 1,200 coral islands, faces a unique set of challenges in managing a rapidly growing volume of waste. Given its dispersed geography and a host of other unique challenges such as  extremely limited amounts of land to store waste, the country has been overwhelmed by managing not only its domestic waste, but also the marine debris generated by other countries that is carried in by ocean currents.

USAID’s Clean Cities, Blue Ocean (CCBO) program offers international technical expertise and sustainable, locally-led solutions through its local grants program. CCBO seeks to develop, test, and implement new models that promote reducing, reusing, and recycling practices and improve solid waste management (SWM), and facilitate partnerships and investment around key needs. CCBO also works to support and enhance livelihoods of independent waste collectors and other vulnerable populations in the SWM sector.